CHANGES 2024 by The Oracle Part 1: Early doors in a season of turmoil

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CHANGES 2024 Part 1: Early doors in a season of turmoil by The Oracle 

The changes came early for the beleaguered Demons in 2024. 

In February, before the first football had been kicked in anger, the bombshell of Angus Brayshaw’s retirement hit the Melbourne Football Club like a sledgehammer. The popular Demon premiership player was medically retired after a concussion suffered in 2023 qualifying final when he was hit front on by a Brayden Maynard bump that was controversially cleared by the AFL Tribunal.

The retirement of the much-loved and respected Demon after a 167 game career rocked the club that drafted him with the No.3 pick, one selection after Christian Petracca at the 2014 AFL National Draft. The pair were outstanding for a number of years in the lead up to the club’s drought breaking 2021 premiership at Optus Stadium. Brayshaw had 25 disposals and kicked a goal in the win. 

The club was already reeling in the wake of the suspension of Joel Smith following the return of a sample provided by the player during an in-competition doping control test after last year’s Round 23 Melbourne vs Hawthorn game which indicated the presence of prohibited substances, cocaine and its metabolite Benzoylecgonine being a Prohibited Substance under the Code. The son of former player Shaun, Joel Smith played 14 of his 42 career matches for Melbourne in 2023, including the Demons' two narrow finals losses against Collingwood and Carlton.

Additionally, it was  reported in February that Smith was facing four new anti-doping rule violations from Sport Integrity Australia — three for trafficking cocaine and one for possession. As a consequence, Smith’s suspension has remained in place to this day, leaving the club short of two senior list players for the whole season, although Brayshaw was replaced on the club lists by Western Australian rookie Luker Kentfield who played out the season with the Casey Demons in the VFL. 

As a consequence, the club’s lists looked like this from the end of May until the club’s season came to an end in the wild and woolly conditions of last Friday night against Collingwood.

PRIMARY LIST: —

Jed Adams Jack Billings Jake Bowey Ben Brown Kade Chandler Tom Fullarton Bayley Fritsch Max Gawn Blake Howes Lachie Hunter Matthew Jefferson Ed Langdon Bailey Laurie Jake Lever Shane McAdam Tom McDonald Steven May Alex Neal-Bullen Clayton Oliver Christian Petracca Harrison Petty Kysaiah Kropinyeri Pickett Trent Rivers Christian Salem Josh Schache Joel Smith Charlie Spargo Tom Sparrow Koltyn Tholstrup Adam Tomlinson Daniel Turner Jacob van Rooyen Jack Viney Caleb Windsor Taj Woewodin 

ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY A 

Kynan Brown Marty Hore Luker Kentfield Judd McVee Jake Melksham Oliver Sestan Will Verrell

ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY B  

Kyah Farris-White Andy Moniz-Wakefield 

RETIRED 

 Angus Brayshaw

By the time the shutters had come on Melbourne’s disappointing 2024, veteran forward Ben Brown had announced his retirement after a long career from 2014 at North Melbourne and Melbourne where he played 175 games and kicked 360 goals. Brown joined the Demons in late 2020 and played a pivotal role in their premiership success the following year. Injuries in his later seasons kept his tally of games at the club to 45 for 72 goals. In addition, another premiership player, Alex Neal-Bullen, who is still in contract, requested a trade home to South Australia at season's end after playing 174 games for the club since being drafted in 2014.

And finally, the disquiet from injured superstar Christian Petracca surfaced when it was recently reported that he also wanted out, despite having five years left on his contract. 

That scenario is still to be played out with the club insisting that it requires the terms of that contract to be honoured. The reports have unleashed a media circus which has done little good for the club or the image of the player. My perspective is that that there is no doubt that Petracca suffered a horrible injury and equally, there's no doubt that the last thing he needs for his health and his welfare is for this circus to be played out in the media. If those around him, truly care for his well-being they would declare a halt to these goings on and stay away from the media until such time as Petrracca is in a good headspace and able to make considered rational decisions about any change to his current playing situation. 


Today, the club announced its first delistings - Josh Schache and Category B rookie Kyah Farris-White who I will cover in the next installment of this series.