Neil Craig will try to help end Melbourne’s AFL nightmare as new caretaker of the Demons

FOR the second time Neil Craig has been asked to save a sinking ship — this time at Melbourne, nine years after replacing Gary Ayres at Adelaide.

Don?t expect a Craigy miracle

FOR the second time Neil Craig has been asked to save a sinking ship — this time at Melbourne, nine years after replacing Gary Ayres to be the interim coach at Adelaide.

In 2004 it was an audition for his inevitable rise to the senior coaching job at the Crows, a team loaded with talent but failing to find its promise under the numbing style of Ayres. It was the beginning of a longstanding dream for Craig.

Neeld given the flick

In 2013 it is very much a “caretaker” role at a football club needing to be rebuilt from the ground up. With Craig, Melbourne is looking to bring an end to a long-tormenting nightmare.

Considering Craig has been part of Melbourne during the horrendous Mark Neeld program, it is unlikely there will be a dramatic shift in the Demons’ performances. The players will appreciate a different style of people management with Craig. But the damage at Melbourne is so deep no-one should expect Craig to work a miracle as he did at West Lakes. Melbourne’s problems are well beyond the work of one man, in particular the coach.

And when Craig does hand over the mantle, he may avoid making cast-iron statements. After all, he did leave Adelaide saying he would never coach any AFL club again.