Chris Connolly Biography

Melbourne axe suspended general manager of club development Chris Connolly.

"This is not a performance-based decision, but reflects the need to reduce the overall cost of our management structure," Melbourne chief executive Peter Jackson said.

"Chris will leave a strong legacy at the Melbourne Football Club."

Former Melbourne football operations manager Chris Connolly has been banned from football for 11 months and former senior coach Dean Bailey suspended from coaching for 16 rounds as a result of the AFL's investigation into the club's on-field performance during the 2009 season.

The AFL ruled that both Connollly and Bailey "had acted in a manner which was prejudicial to the interests of the AFL".

Bailey will be allowed to continue his role as assistant coach of the Crows during his suspension but will not be allowed to perform any match-day role or work with players.

"Dean is a very admirable man, and through the whole situation, and from the date of his termination up until the present he has acted admirably," Bailey's lawyer Chris Pollard said.

"I emphasise that there is no evidence from the investigation that he was not coaching to his utmost and coaching to his merits. The fact is he has not been found guilty of not coaching to his merits."

Melbourne is committed to playing Jack Watts in the seniors whenever it reasonably can this season and says early sceptics of its schoolboy No. 1 draft pick should bite their tongues.

"From what we've seen thus far we couldn't be any more pleased," Demons football manager Chris Connolly said yesterday.

"Jack's played against Collingwood in a big game, against Essendon in a big game, and I don't think he's looked out of place at all.

"We won't see the best of Jack for four years. Tell me what Jack Watts is doing in four years' time, then make comment.

"I expect at some stage during the year he may be rested, he may not. It just depends how he's coping."