Dees do it for the fans

MELBOURNE is hell bent on rewriting history as a reward for success-starved fans.

The Demons have already stared down one hoodoo — a 17-game losing streak in Perth — and now face another in Hobart on Saturday, a 16-game winless run against North Melbourne dating back to 2006.

But Melbourne small forward Alex Neal-Bullen said it was not retribution against teams that have mercilessly dominated the Dees in the past that was driving the 2017 Melbourne model. Drafted from Glenelg, South Australia, in the 2015 draft, Neal-Bullen has been learning about the Demons’ dark recent history.

“You don’t realise the rich history and all the hardship the club has been through, supporters included,” Neal-Bullen said.

“Even when we beat West Coast at their home ground, I got a text from a supporter I’ve got to know in my time here. He said, ‘We really appreciate all the work you guys are doing, you probably don’t understand all the stuff we had to sit through in the mid-2000s and to see us not only be competitive but win over in Subiaco, it was something we thought would never happen again’.

“You read that and you sit back and think, ‘Whoa — I’m just here playing footy, but the impact it has on our community in the Melbourne Footy Club is huge’.

“It really does drive you and hopefully we can turn that into some September footy.”

A 23-point win over Port Adelaide last Saturday has the Demons sitting in seventh with 10 wins and buoyed by the return from injury and illness of stars Jack Viney (foot) and Jesse Hogan (testicular cancer) in recent weeks.

“It is something at the time when you do go through injuries it builds your club, it brings everyone closer together and when they do come back you realise the impact they do have on the team, whether that is having the footy in hand, or when they don’t have the ball but their real leadership,” Neal-Bullen said. “When you see Jesse playing really well, everyone gets a lift out of it.

“It is almost an extra bonus to have him playing after the adversities he’s been through.”

Neal-Bullen, 21, has played 14 games this season, the most of his three years at the Dees, and already has a season best 10 goals to his name.

“As every game has gone by you definitely build confidence and that’s something I’m seeing with my game, I’m just playing with a lot more confidence and I do feel a part of it,” he said.

“It makes it easier to contribute when you feel a part of the whole group.”