Neitz not assured of captaincy
31/10/2007 10:27 AM
David Neitz's eight-year tenure as Melbourne captain may come to an end on the eve of one of the most important years in the club's history.
Melbourne coach Dean Bailey confirmed on Wednesday that the captaincy is up for review ahead of the Demons' 150-year celebrations in 2008 - a revelation that has seemingly contradicted chief executive Steve Harris' stance on the issue.
When Harris was quizzed by the Herald Sun about the number one on-field job earlier this month, he said: "It's our 150th year and there'll be all sorts of PR and marketing demands on whoever the captain is, I'd imagine David would be there in that senior role."
But Bailey appears to be on a different wavelength to his chief.
"The captaincy (position), that'll roll out, probably, in due course when we discuss it with key stakeholders and then we'll be happy to announce when it is," Bailey said before the club's first pre-season training session.
"Once we have the discussion with the people, whatever's thrown up, whatever's discussed, whether it changes, whether it stays, it'll be a consensus rather than just one person's opinion."
If Neitz, who turns 33 in January, is replaced as captain, leading candidates to take over appear to be Brock McLean, Jeff White, Cameron Bruce and Brad Green.
However, McLean's chances to succeed Neitz may have taken a dent due to his recent involvement in scuffles on the Greek Islands and Germany during an end-of-season holiday.