9 Reasons to be Positive Heading into 2025

[Demonland 70,598]

After becoming premiers in 2021, and occupying top four finishes in the last three years, 2024 was a completely different story for the Dees.

Melbourne finished 14th in 2024, with significant off-field issues weighing them down. But Cam Luke has nine positives for Melbourne fans, urging them to sit tight and remain optimistic heading into 2025.

1. Max Gawn

“I think sometimes we underrate people because the standards they set for themselves are so high, and we take certain things for granted," Cam Luke said on AFL Trade Radio.

“AFL fans should not take Max Gawn for granted.

“He played pretty much with a broken leg in the last month.

“We talk about inspirational leaders and captains in the AFL; if there’s any in front of Max Gawn it is a very small number.

“He leads this football club by example. He has had to answer a million questions at the Melbourne Football Club.

“He fronts up, he talks about it, he wears his heart on his sleeve.

“He is the best ruckman in the league and this is by far the best positive – that Max Gawn is their captain.”

2. Caleb Windsor

“He was good this year. He was probably a bit low in the rising star.

“It’s never easy to wander into a club that has had success and be good straight away.

"To be able to crack into a team like that, Caleb Windsor deserves a pat on the back."

3. Jacob Van Rooyen

“He kind of got thrown into it once Luke Jackson left the club.

“It is not easy for a young kid to carry a lot of responsibility, they haven’t got their forward line mix right, which we understand.

“I think there are ups and downs, and I don’t think we accept the ups and downs of Van Rooyen as we do for other forwards."

4. Easier fixture next year

“They’ve had a hard fixture; they’ve had to do it a harder way.

“The last three years they’ve been in the top 4, they were a premier, back-to-back top 4 positions.

“In 2025 that won’t happen, they finished bottom 5 and next year, away they go.”

__5. Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver are not leaving_

“They are not leaving. If you are a Melbourne fan you should sit there and tell yourself, they are going to go back to their level.

“Why would you be pessimistic about Petracca and Oliver at your football club next year?

“We’ve seen players want out before and play good footy.

“These players are two of the best greatest Demons of all time; Petracca is a Norm Smith medallist and has two best and fairests. He was having a great year before he got hurt.

“Clayton Oliver has four best and fairests.

“Look on the bright side that these two men are in your colours next year and can bounce back.

“Don’t be glass half empty, be glass half full.”

6. Judd McVee

7. Trent Rivers

8. Jake Lever and Steven May

“I am touching wood that they can stay fit and healthy and, on the park, because if they do that means defensively, they will rarely ever get beat.”

9. They can make the top eight next year

“I think they will make the eight.

“I will make a bet with you that they make the eight next year.”

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,678]

Nah, the sky is falling down isn't it?

[Doug Reemer 1,182]

5 minutes ago, Demonland said:

After becoming premiers in 2021, and occupying top four finishes in the last three years, 2024 was a completely different story for the Dees.

Melbourne finished 14th in 2024, with significant off-field issues weighing them down. But Cam Luke has nine positives for Melbourne fans, urging them to sit tight and remain optimistic heading into 2025.

1. Max Gawn

“I think sometimes we underrate people because the standards they set for themselves are so high, and we take certain things for granted," Cam Luke said on AFL Trade Radio.

“AFL fans should not take Max Gawn for granted.

“He played pretty much with a broken leg in the last month.

“We talk about inspirational leaders and captains in the AFL; if there’s any in front of Max Gawn it is a very small number.

“He leads this football club by example. He has had to answer a million questions at the Melbourne Football Club.

“He fronts up, he talks about it, he wears his heart on his sleeve.

“He is the best ruckman in the league and this is by far the best positive – that Max Gawn is their captain.”

2. Caleb Windsor

“He was good this year. He was probably a bit low in the rising star.

“It’s never easy to wander into a club that has had success and be good straight away.

"To be able to crack into a team like that, Caleb Windsor deserves a pat on the back."

3. Jacob Van Rooyen

“He kind of got thrown into it once Luke Jackson left the club.

“It is not easy for a young kid to carry a lot of responsibility, they haven’t got their forward line mix right, which we understand.

“I think there are ups and downs, and I don’t think we accept the ups and downs of Van Rooyen as we do for other forwards."

4. Easier fixture next year

“They’ve had a hard fixture; they’ve had to do it a harder way.

“The last three years they’ve been in the top 4, they were a premier, back-to-back top 4 positions.

“In 2025 that won’t happen, they finished bottom 5 and next year, away they go.”

__5. Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver are not leaving_

“They are not leaving. If you are a Melbourne fan you should sit there and tell yourself, they are going to go back to their level.

“Why would you be pessimistic about Petracca and Oliver at your football club next year?

“We’ve seen players want out before and play good footy.

“These players are two of the best greatest Demons of all time; Petracca is a Norm Smith medallist and has two best and fairests. He was having a great year before he got hurt.

“Clayton Oliver has four best and fairests.

“Look on the bright side that these two men are in your colours next year and can bounce back.

“Don’t be glass half empty, be glass half full.”

6. Judd McVee

7. Trent Rivers

8. Jake Lever and Steven May

“I am touching wood that they can stay fit and healthy and, on the park, because if they do that means defensively, they will rarely ever get beat.”

9. They can make the top eight next year

“I think they will make the eight.

“I will make a bet with you that they make the eight next year.”

26-1 to win the flag. Load up! 

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,678]

1 minute ago, Doug Reemer said:

26-1 to win the flag. Load up! 

What odds were we and did you do this at the end of 2020?

[Doug Reemer 1,182]

Just now, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

What odds were we and did you do this at the end of 2020?

I had a Petracca Brownlow Melb flag double.

[monoccular 17,357]

1 hour ago, Doug Reemer said:

I had a Petracca Brownlow Melb flag double.

Pity it wasn’t a Norm Smith instead of a Downlow. 

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,505]

Re the easier fixture:

If we had Fremantle's 2024 fixture who finished 14th in 2023, we'd play the following teams twice in 2025 based on 2024 rankings:

GWS, Hawthorn, Carlton, Collingwood, Gold Coast and Richmond.

Is that really that much easier on paper?