Almanac Footy: Melbourne 2025 Season Preview

 

 

Oz Footy List Manager takes a look at Melbourne.

 

List:

As seen from last season, the Melbourne list is in two parts. The first section are the remnants of their 2021 premiership – 4 years ago – and some “ring-ins” thinking they might win another. (Yep, not the first ones to believe that.) The second part is that group of juniors (18-21yo) that they’ve recruited since that are beginning to move into the developing group (22-24yo). What this means is that Melbourne are in transition and need to ensure that they have what they need to be successful in the future.

With the future in mind, they need to focus on:
1. Retiring twilighters (28+yo) who aren’t core players and aren’t stars – I can identify 6 of these already.
2. They need to recruit a talented developing (22-24yo) ruckman, who isn’t getting a go at another club, and a talented junior ruckman (18-21yo). Remember, Gawn was taken in 2009, debuted in 2011, and didn’t click until 2015. That’s 6 years of development for a star ruckman.
Oh, and Fullarton? Doesn’t show enough, when he’s not injured, and he’s 25yo, now.
3. Recruit an elite goal-kicking smaller midfielder. Langford is an excellent recruit but is on the taller side. (My knock on Lindsay is that he is like the rest of their smalls and smaller-mediums – they don’t do enough.

 

Select 22:

Melbourne have good junior and developing players on the flanks, but very very few busting open key or midfield positions. This why so many twilighters are being hung onto. Langdon could move into an inside role. Howes is a promising mobile tall interceptor and should be given every opportunity. On the other side, tall forward Matthew Jefferson has spent two years at Casey and is overdue for a senior debut. Daniel Turner is a capable developing utility.

One suspects Melbourne needs a few more years provided it fills in all its holes.

 

B: Bowey, May, Lever

HB: McVee, McDonald, Howes

C: Windsor, Oliver, Rivers

HF: Petracca, Van Rooyen, Langford

F: Fritsch, Jefferson, Pickett

R: Gawn, Langdon, Viney

I: D.Turner, Salem, Sparrow, Chandler

 

You can follow all the 2025 list updates here – https://www.ozfootylistmanager.com/2025-lists-new.html

 

 

 

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