Alex Neal-Bullen on Melbourne and Simon Goodwin becoming his second family and the inspiration for his goal celebrations
MELBOURNE midfielder Alex Neal-Bullen has revealed how the club and coach Simon Goodwin have become like family which has also been the inspiration behind his passionate goal celebrations this year.
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MELBOURNE midfielder Alex Neal-Bullen has revealed how the club and coach Simon Goodwin have become like family which has also been the inspiration behind his passionate goal celebrations this year.
As the Demons prepare for their semi-final against Hawthorn on Friday night, South Australian Neal-Bullen has explained how a heart-to-heart conversation with Goodwin two years ago helped him go from fringe player to crucial cog.
The 22-year-old grew up barracking for Adelaide and cheering for Goodwin and has forgiven him for his boundary-line snub when he was 10.
“There was one time he was giving a footy out after a game and I was front row in full Crows kit and he ended up going to the kid next to me who wasn’t even wearing one bit of Crows clothing — so I was spewing at him,” Neal-Bullen said on Monday.
“I would have been 10 years old leaning over the fence, but I’ve forgiven him.
“I’ve got this relationship with Goody and he’s always backed me in.
“The moment for me was during the transition from Roos to Goodwin and he sat me down and said ‘if you want to do the work mate I’ll back you in, I’ve got that much belief in you, you’ve just got to show me how much you want it’.
“And from that day, I always believed in myself, but to hear that, I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve got and I’m going to keep doing that for him because he’s almost like a father figure in a way.
“Me being from Adelaide, I don’t have much family over here, so to have someone like that not only as a good coach but even when he was our development assistant he was helping me out with anything I needed.”
Neal-Bullen was drafted by Melbourne from Glenelg with pick No. 40 in 2014 and he played 11 games in his debut season. But he managed just four games in 2016 which was when he spoke with Goodwin and hasn’t looked back playing 42 in the past two years.
The hard-running, goalkicking midfielder has become one of Melbourne’s most important players in its return to the finals this year and a fan favourite for his heart-on-his-sleeve goal celebrations.
On Friday night the Sacred Heart College graduate grabbed his jumper with a clenched fist and beat his chest while roaring at the crowd against Geelong, and in May he kissed his black armband after a goal against Carlton after his pop, Ian, passed away the day before.
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“He (Ian) was a huge supporter of mine and loved his footy,” Neal-Bullen said.
This time last year Neal-Bullen was in Byron Bay watching the AFL finals with a beer but rather than reflect on how far Melbourne has come this season, he is focused on the now
“There is this layer of confidence across the whole group, not getting ahead ourselves but a belief in our group,” he said.
“We believe now that we’re a good side, it’s about doing it in big games and in big moments.
“I guess we showed that on Friday night and now it’s about consistency, Hawthorn is a good side and they finished top four for a reason so we’re going to have to go to another level if we want to stay around.
“Last year we felt like we deserved to be playing finals but at the end of the day we didn’t.
“This year we definitely feel like we deserve to be in September, and we’re not here to win a game and go home, we’re here to hopefully go deep and be successful.”
He also says Melbourne has had to learn from its losses this year including an 11-goal hiding from the Hawks in April.
“You could describe them as chapters in the year,” he said.
“We had an OK first month then played Hawthorn and got taught a couple of lessons, so we adapted after that.
“Then we had another one against Geelong and just lost at the end, and we got a lot of learnings from that.
“Now we’re learning on the run because if you lose now you’re done so we’re going to have to keep this form going.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au