By Peter Ryan
No one at Melbourne has a bad word to say about premiership forward Alex Neal-Bullen.
The wholehearted Demon spent 10 years at the club before family reasons precipitated a trade request back to his hometown to play with the Crows.
Alex Neal-Bullen was a fan favourite over his time at Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images
He finished third in the best and fairest in his final season at Melbourne, his fourth consecutive top-10 finish, and has begun his career in Adelaide in fine style, having been added to their leadership group as a key part of a team on the rise.
Neal-Bullen retains strong friendships with former teammates – his loyalty to them such that when asked what he thinks of Melbourne’s early season travails, he intercepts the question as though clinching a forward-half turnover.
“I am now an Adelaide Crow… I am fully immersed as an Adelaide Crow now, and that is where all my energy is going,” he said.
He made his debut under Paul Roos in round 11, 2015 in a team that only contained four players who eventually played in the famous drought-breaking 2021 premiership under Simon Goodwin.
Neal-Bullen’s relationship became so strong with Goodwin that he opened up on his desire for his family, wife Georgie and daughter Zara, to move back to South Australia to be around family if the opportunity arose.
The Melbourne coach helped it happen with his blessing – one indication of why Goodwin has always had the respect of his players.
“He had the understanding of how important family is to me and [the way for me] to play my best footy was to come home to South Australia. [I’m] forever grateful for my time at that great club, and still hold close connections to them now,” Neal-Bullen said.
“Having our family and my wife’s family around, it’s just been a real treat.”
What a loss Neal-Bullen has been to the Demons as they battle to score. The gain he will turn out to be for the blossoming Crows has been somewhat underappreciated, externally.
He developed into one of the best high half-forwards the game has seen with his hard running and competitiveness so important to a team’s structure. The rampant Crows have scored 500 points in four games, compared to the battling Demons who have 248 points so far this season to show for their effort.
Neal-Bullen said former Tiger Kane Lambert pioneered the modern high half-forward role and Geelong’s Gryan Miers and Hawthorn’s Dylan Moore are taking it to the next level.
The 29-year-old Neal-Bullen relishes the physical demands the two-way running places on him.
“That is the part of the role that I almost love most,” he said. “I know I am going into [the game to] give it everything, and you are going to come out the other end absolutely spent.”
Taylor Walker (right) celebrates a goal with teammate Darcy Fogarty.Credit: Getty Images
His competitiveness means he enjoys the battles forwards have with defenders, and it’s his desire to be a good teammate that pushes him to his limit.
“If they are running on top of the ground, and you’re not, then that is the moment you have to dig your heels in and then sometimes you get fortunate [and] it’s the other way around,” Neal-Bullen said.
He doesn’t overcomplicate the game, aware if he gets the fundamentals right his game will fall into place. But his words reveal why he went straight into the Crows’ leadership group.
“As a teammate, no matter what the game presents, I have an understanding and can work with whoever is on field to see what the solution is, or how the game is holding up and what we are doing very well,” he said.
“That feeling of succeeding – I really enjoy it on a team level more than an individual level.”
The Crows are heading in the right direction, with the veteran impressed at what he saw upon arrival at the club.
“I quickly found out how competitive the group is on the training track. It was quite a delight to walk in and understand that this group doesn’t need to be necessarily pushed in the direction of getting the competitiveness and intensity up – they do that naturally,” Neal-Bullen explained.
“I’m very grateful I have come into an environment already establishing those great habits.”
Talented talls Riley Thilthorpe, Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty will present the Cats with a formidable challenge on Thursday night, particularly with Jack Henry missing through injury. But Neal-Bullen knows the hype is less important than the reality.
“Talent is one thing, but what has impressed me most is their ability to work with each other,” Neal-Bullen said.
He’s a resilient footballer so was able to move forward after the disappointing one-point loss to the Gold Coast, viewing the controversial umpiring decision that went against the Crows when Izak Rankine should have been paid a mark or free kick in goal-kicking range as just one of several moments that cost them, rather than an issue he wants to dwell upon.
“I am proud the group gave ourselves so many opportunities to win the game and get back into the game on multiple occasions when they [the Suns] had the momentum,” Neal-Bullen said.
He is playing the long game, knowing every heartache represents a chance for a club to get better.
“It sets you up to succeed, and that is succeeding in high-pressure environments and games where the scoreline is very close,” Neal-Bullen said.
Having been part of the Demons line-up that knocked off the Crows in a stirring win to kick off Gather Round last season, he hopes to be part of another victory but this time in Adelaide’s colours with his new home ground rocking in unison to help knock over the Cats.
“The amount of energy the stadium creates is phenomenal,” he said.
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