After the retirement of Demons great Garry Lyon, Neitz moved to the full-forward position and began his successful run as one of the AFL's elite goal scorers.

Neitz became Melbourne's all-time leading goal-kicker on 19 May 2006, surpassing Norm Smith's previous record of 546 goals.

Two weeks later, he broke Robert Flower's long standing record of 272 games, making him the longest serving Demon in history.

[1] Neitz now sits on the AFL Tribunal jury, adjudicating on high-profile cases that arise during the regular season.

[2] Due to a broken disc in the back of his neck, and after playing only five games in 2008, he finally pulled the plug on his AFL career as he announced his immediate retirement on 19 May 2008.