The Herald Sun’s take on where 2025 will take the Melbourne Football Club.

Predictions, best 23: Rebound or rebuild? Dees’ writing on the wall

Melbourne’s best 23 according to Callum Dick

FB: Petty, May, Salem
HB: Windsor, Lever, Rivers
C: Sharp, Oliver, Langdon
HF: Pickett, Fritsch, Chandler
FF: Tholstrup, Van Rooyen, Johnson
FOLL: Gawn, Petracca, Viney
INT: McDonald, Bowey, Harvey Langford, McVee, Sparrow

Aidan Johnson ahead of Disco

Might be time to bring back public executions for the author

 

13 minutes ago, adonski said:

Aidan Johnson ahead of Disco

Might be time to bring back public executions for the author

 

…2nd ruck….or we have the same problem as last year….killing JVR.

5 minutes ago, george_on_the_outer said:

…2nd ruck….or we have the same problem as last year….killing JVR.

Get your affairs in order Jacob

Prefer refresh 

Could only find a spot for McVee on the bench, interesting. 

No mention of Turner which I find surprising. I predict a strong year from him.

Re-plumb? Re-tool?

McVee is more likely to be vice captain than be on the bench.

 

Love the opening paragraph: 'think'!

2019, 2020 and 2021 say hullo.

24 minutes ago, DubDee said:

Re-plumb? Re-tool?

Riffing on the season, 'tis re-birth?

3 hours ago, adonski said:

Get your affairs in order Jacob

'Jacob', eh, @Whispering_Jack?

Don't you have a ladder that takes us to heaven?

Right, then; you're our mascot for the 2025 climb and outcome.

8 hours ago, adonski said:

Aidan Johnson ahead of Disco

Might be time to bring back public executions for the author

 

Yep. Big miss, that.

'The Demons still think they're in the premiership window, but missed the top eight last year'.....

This is what [censored] me about the media.... quick to go on about our straight sets and missing last year but fawning over the pies and cats after they both missed the finals directly after the wins... we missed the 8 so are bad - pies missed the eight and are one of the favourites for the flag.... [censored] 

 

7 minutes ago, Sideshow Bob said:

'The Demons still think they're in the premiership window, but missed the top eight last year'.....

This is what [censored] me about the media.... quick to go on about our straight sets and missing last year but fawning over the pies and cats after they both missed the finals directly after the wins... we missed the 8 so are bad - pies missed the eight and are one of the favourites for the flag.... [censored] 

 

The difference being we couldn’t score, and it was the same problem over and over

6 hours ago, Demon Head said:

This article is a bit pus.

No mention of Windsor who had a brilliant first season. Turner. Kolt likely to have an impact this year.

Petty back into defence. I reckon they'll be angling for him to take over from May in 2026.

And. It's not just about our forward line.

All elements of our game plan need to be transformed and our coach has finally stated this. From the backline right through.

No mention of this either. Maybe he's getting content for this article from a super coach forum.

We can rebound if we can nail down a fast transition game style. We have the talent (pending no serious injuries)

I think the players will love to embrace something new.

I'm heading overseas for most of September in 2025, so expect us to run deep into the finals. 😁

We can win the flag. Media don't want us to.

6 hours ago, chook fowler said:

No mention of Turner which I find surprising. I predict a strong year from him.

 

5 hours ago, Wrecker46 said:

McVee is more likely to be vice captain than be on the bench.

 

The author’s living up to his surname. 🤭

Definitely a rebound year if we avoid serious injuries.

Reasons?

1. If Oliver and Trac are fit and in the right frame of mind, the positive effect will be enormous.

2. Langford an excellent draft pick. Looks AFL ready.

3. Johnson has point to prove and could provide much-needed relief for the overworked Max.

4. Further improvement likely from Turner, Windsor, McVee, Van Rooyen  and Tholstrup.

5. Petty back where he belongs.

6. Viney still going strong.

7. Pickett provides the X-factor every team needs.

8. Little mention of Harry Sharp so far, but if his all-round skills improve he could just develop into a surprise replacement for ANB. At 22, he has outstanding speed, Langdon-like aerobic capacity and his best years ahead.

I accept that we still lack a truly dominant key forward and that some of the predictions above may come unstuck.

Still, what is there right now not to be optimistic about?

 

1 minute ago, Dee-tonator said:

Definitely a rebound year if we avoid serious injuries.

Reasons?

1. If Oliver and Trac are fit and in the right frame of mind, the positive effect will be enormous.

2. Langford an excellent draft pick. Looks AFL ready.

3. Johnson has point to prove and could provide much-needed relief for the overworked Max.

4. Further improvement likely from Turner, Windsor, McVee, Van Rooyen  and Tholstrup.

5. Petty back where he belongs.

6. Viney still going strong.

7. Pickett provides the X-factor every team needs.

8. Little mention of Harry Sharp so far, but if his all-round skills improve he could just develop into a surprise replacement for ANB. At 22, he has outstanding speed, Langdon-like aerobic capacity and his best years ahead.

I accept that we still lack a truly dominant key forward and that some of the predictions above may come unstuck.

Still, what is there right now not to be optimistic about?

 

Agree with that, we have the the potential to improve all 3 parts of the ground in 2025, got a good group of youngsters too which is where a lot of it'll come from

Mids:

• Clarry back to a version which closer resembles his previous self
• Rivers is an explosive goal kicking midfielder in the waiting, will take his game to the next level in 25'
• Agree re Langford, looks plug & play

Backs:

• Petty back
• Salem not injured by 28.12.24 - world record? If we get a full year out of him (wishful thinking) our ball movement will improve a lot
• Windsor and potentially even Xavier Lindsay off half back give us a lot more speed

Forwards:

• Disco Turner the break out tip for 2025, only played 18 career games, will surprise a few
• Another pre-season into JVR, Kolt helps
• As a Jefferson believer reckon he may surprise a couple too

6 hours ago, DubDee said:

Re-plumb? Re-tool?

Re-arrange. They chafed last year and produced a nasty rash

Edited December 28, 20241 yr by John Demonic

It's a re-set, because it involves, I would say, a reasonably significant shift in game style, but it will hopefully also be a progression on 2024's first half. An emphasis on faster attack and slingshot. I hope we look to move the ball inside 50 more centrally like we did in '18 too.

Having said all this, you could make an argument that we're rebuilding on the run, but still relying on our mature stars to play important roles, whilst giving the merging group more responsibility.

JVR, Jefferson, Turner, McVee, Bowey, AMW, Kolt, Howes, Windsor, Langford and Lindsay are all going to be important pieces of our 2025-2027 puzzle. Jefferson, Howes and AMW may not make it, but I'm hopeful they will, particularly the latter two.

I'm quite happy for the football world to have little faith in Melbourne until the halfway mark of the season, just as was the case in 2021. Hopefully the players use this as fire to get themselves going next year and show everyone that we're still a serious football team and club.

2 hours ago, Brownie said:

I'm heading overseas for most of September in 2025, so expect us to run deep into the finals. 😁

Don’t go!!

13 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

The Herald Sun’s take on where 2025 will take the Melbourne Football Club.

Predictions, best 23: Rebound or rebuild? Dees’ writing on the wall

Melbourne’s best 23 according to Callum Dick

FB: Petty, May, Salem
HB: Windsor, Lever, Rivers
C: Sharp, Oliver, Langdon
HF: Pickett, Fritsch, Chandler
FF: Tholstrup, Van Rooyen, Johnson
FOLL: Gawn, Petracca, Viney
INT: McDonald, Bowey, Harvey Langford, McVee, Sparrow

Turner????