24 hours inside the Melbourne Demons den
"Some of them are high maintenance," Stanaway laughs. "But no, they're a very good bunch."
Around the corner Matthew Bate and Jordan Gysberts change in the locker room. Los Angeles street signs adorn the walls. "Rodeo Drive" hangs above Brent Moloney's locker.
But there's little joking around. The players know what awaits them.
Down the hall Neeld and strength and conditioning manager Rob Jackson sit in an open plan kitchen and lounge area eating breakfast - Jim Stynes' Jimbo Super Muesli - and flicking through the Herald Sun.
After discovering football operations manager Craig Notman is on cleaning up duty, Neeld "accidentally" spills his cereal dregs over the bowls and plates sitting in the dishwasher. "He'll love that," Neeld chuckles.
AT 8am the coaches and football staff file into a meeting room to discuss the day and week ahead. Eleven men - Neeld, Neil Craig, Brian Royal, Jade Rawlings, Leigh Brown, Todd Viney, Josh Mahoney, Paul Satterley, Aaron Greaves, Andrew Nichol and football analyst Luke Chambers - sit at a large timber table scattered with coffee cups and laptops.
Its teeth were chattering. As it lay on its side we held some water to its face, and it smelled for it, its broad snout knocking the bowl from our hands. Its jaw released the cabbage head and its teeth began to chatter even more violently.