Burning questions for 2012: Melbourne

What difference will Clark make?

The most optimistic Melbourne fans have Clark pegged as the solution to the club's desperate need for a gorilla key forward. Doomsayers among the Demon faithful believe he is a natural ruckman miscast as a goalkicker. The truth, as always, will probably lie somewhere between the two.

Clark's big body and sure hands will give the improving Demon midfield a reliable get-out option when going forward - something the club has lacked since David Neitz's last good season in 2006. He will also allow mobile forwards Liam Jurrah and Jack Watts to rove across half-forward and beyond, rather than playing the stay-at-home spearhead. Clark isn't the 50-goal full forward some are hoping for, but if new coach Mark Neeld's forward-line plans come to fruition, he won't need to be. Jurrah, Watts, Jeremy Howe and Aaron Davey - set to reprise his role as a small forward - will take care of the goals.

Can Neeld inject some steel?

Melbourne's lack of mental and physical fortitude was laid bare in two dismal hours at Kardinia Park in late 2011, when the premiers-in-waiting inflicted a league-record 186-point defeat. It came as no surprise that Neeld and football department lieutenant Neil Craig targeted big bodies in the off-season. Mitch Clark and James Sellar are already AFL-hardened, while rookie draftees James Magner and Leigh Williams have bodies that will stand up to senior footy.

Perhaps the most important recruit has been fitness guru David Misson, who has overseen the famously hard Sydney and St Kilda squads in the past decade. Together with Craig, Misson has set about rebuilding the playing group to cope with Neeld's expected focus on contested football. Upon taking the job, the rookie coach declared he wanted his team to be the hardest in the league to play against. His record as a line coach of Collingwood's defence and midfield suggests that he will, at the very least, eradicate the thrashings that were all too regular under Dean Bailey.

Who should be captain in 2012?

While Neeld says he already has a clear idea of how the club's new leadership will shape up, outsiders are still fiercely at odds over the Demons' skipper. Jack Trengove has displayed all the right traits, but at 20 and in only his third season, is he too young? Jack Grimes, two years Trengove's senior, is the right age for a new-generation skipper and has captain stamped all over him, but injury has restricted him to just 32 games in his four seasons. Brent Moloney was Melbourne's best player in 2011 and his passion is undeniable, but his lapses of judgement both on and off the field have proven costly. Other contenders include All Australian defender James Frawley and reliable midfielder Nathan Jones, while incumbent leader Brad Green could remain for one more year to give either Trengove or Grimes to mature. All will be revealed before Melbourne's first NAB Cup game on February 25, but a young skipper would suit the club's regeneration. Either Trengove or Grimes deserves the honour.

Will Jurrah complete the MOTY/GOTY double?

Jurrah is one of few players who could do the double, but Neeld would much rather the outrageously talented Jurrah led the forward line for tackles. The Warlpiri Warrior frustrated many supporters in 2011 with an apparent reluctance to apply defensive pressure in the first half of the season. While entertaining, his penchant for flying for a screamer at every opportunity in the early rounds also failed to endear him to either his coaches or the fans in the outer. Jurrah is likely to have a slow start to 2012 after recovering from wrist surgery for most of the summer, but expect to see a renewed focus on the simple things. If Neeld has his way, the spectacular stuff - and bags of goals - will follow.

Next up: Adelaide

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of BigPond Sport.

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