AFL great David Schwarz slams former Demons coach: ‘His two years tore the joint apart’

FORMER Melbourne coach Mark Neeld has been slammed by an AFL legend blaming him for the heartbreaking fall of two stars.

David Schwarz, Angry Melbourne fan wanting his team to get belted this week so Neeld gets the sack.

THE Melbourne Demons have begun to cull their roster after a disappointing finish to the 2017 season saw them miss out on September’s finals series by a hair.

The club turned heads yesterday after announcing former No. 2 draft pick Jack Trengrove would not be offered a contract for the 2018 season. The decision came almost a year after Jack Grimes, Trengrove’s former co-captain, was delisted from the Demons’ line-up.

Trengrove suffered a navicular bone fracture in 2014 and missed all the 2015 season.

“He leaves having captained the club through some tough times and having provided genuine leadership to all his teammates, particularly the younger players coming through in recent times,” Demons football manager Josh Mahoney said.

Adam Ramanauskas, Trengrove’s manager, said the 26-year-old still has a burning desire to play in the AFL.

“He’s only just been given the tap on the shoulder so he needs a little bit more time to suss things out a bit,’’ Ramanauskas said. “It’s a bit raw for him at the moment and clearly he’s disappointed but at the same time he understands that’s football.

“He’s a smart guy and he’ll be telling me, when things settle down, what he wants to do from here.’’

Trengrove became the youngest AFL captain in history after former coach Mark Neeld made a divisive shake-up to the team’s roster and appointed him and Grimes as leaders of the club.

SEN footy expert and former Demons’ one-club man David Schwarz savaged Neeld’s two seasons at the Demons, claiming he did far more harm than good.

Mark Neeld is now an assistant coach at the Bombers.

“Mark Neeld’s two years at Melbourne Football Club tore the joint apart,” he told SEN’s The Run Home after Trengrove’s axing was announced.

“Not only did it tear the joint apart, but it ruined two kids in the process — being Jack Trengove who leaves today and Jack Grimes who left last year.”

Schwarz attacked the 46-year-old’s decision to give the two young guns captaincy roles, suggesting the added pressure hurt their careers.

“They were far too young to give the boys the captaincy,” he said.

Joining Trengrove on Melbourne’s list of cuts were Liam Hulett, Jake Spencer and 21-year-old Mitch White. Schwarz said he was particularly taken aback by the call to axe Spencer.

“That is a surprise, because I thought Jake would be attractive to a lot of clubs,” he said.

“Maybe they’ve spoken to Jake and said we’ll delist you, we’ll let any club pick you up. You’ve been a great servant as a backup, they would’ve treated him with that respect.

“He’s a player who’s got years left in him.”

Jack Grimes admitted his career was over after being axed late in 2016 and turned down a nomination for the following year’s draft.

Melbourne legend David Schwarz says Mark Neeld’s time at the club “tore the joint apart”