Brad Green has praised the tough love of new coach Mark Neeld at Melbourne, even though it cost him the captaincy at the AFL club.
The Demons have been through a thorough overhaul in the wake of last season's woes, when Dean Bailey was sacked as coach and they dropped one place to 13th.
Green only lasted one season as skipper before Neeld decided to appoint Jack Trengove and Jack Grimes as co-captains, with the 30-year-old left out of the leadership group altogether.
''He's been pretty ruthless, as soon as he got here,'' Green said of Neeld yesterday.
''It's probably what we needed as a club ... and no doubt that's the style we'll be playing.
''We'll play a really structured game and we won't waver from that.
''I probably had a hunch that Neeld wanted to go with a new approach, a totally new leadership group, and go down that path - with a whole new coaching staff, a whole new structure, football department and a whole new game plan.''
He said the day before the captaincy was announced, Neeld took him aside for a no-nonsense conversation. While Green had a feeling he might lose the captaincy, it was still an unpleasant surprise. ''Neeld is a straight-shooter, straightaway he said 'mate, I'm not going to bulls**t to you, I'm just going to tell you you're not going to be captain','' Green said.
''He basically told me we're totally going with youth and a new approach. At the time I was a little bit shocked, I probably knew it was coming, deep down. You still want to feel a part of it.''
But Green still wants to help lead the side, saying their youthful co-captains will need advice and support. ''Hopefully even if they don't want me to be there, I will be around here trying to do my best and leading the boys,'' he said. AAP
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