The 2012 Melbourne Football Club season was the club's 113th year in the VFL/AFL since it began in 1897. After a horrid ending to 2011 which saw coach Dean Bailey sacked after an embarrassing 186-point loss to Geelong in Round 19, former Collingwood midfield assistant coach Mark Neeld was appointed as head coach for 2012 and vowed that he would make Melbourne 'the hardest team to play against in the AFL'. in February 2012, Neeld gave the football club's leadership group a major overhaul by replacing Brad Green as the club's captain with Jack Grimes and Jack Trengove, both of whom are young midfielders. On 2 February, was elected the club's new president, replacing Jim Stynes who was continuing his fight against cancer. Melbourne hosted nine of its eleven games at the Melbourne Cricket Gro