It was yet another disappointing outcome in a disappointing year, with Melbourne missing the finals for the second consecutive season. Indeed, it wasn’t even close, as the Demons' tally of seven wins was less than half the number required to rank among the top eight teams in the competition.

When the dust of the game settled and supporters reflected on Melbourne's  six-point defeat at the hands of close game specialists Collingwood, Max Gawn's words about his team’s unfulfilled potential rang true … well, almost. 

After the game, it was reported that the Demons' captain acknowledged the side had relinquished more than a dozen winnable games this season. 

2025 certainly started that way with the three-point loss in the opening game against the Giants. The two clashes against Collingwood were by a combined margin of seven points, while five of their last six defeats were all relatively tight results, including three by the exact margin of one goal in the past month alone. There were also others that were thrown away by poor kicking for goal such as the Alice Springs game against the Saints … but I wouldn’t go as far as to say a dozen games or possibly even the eight or nine extra wins that would have made the Demons finals contenders.

However, the season's final game and other recent close calls have certainly provided some food for thought for the weeks ahead about learning how to win games consistently as the club chooses its new coach and makes other moves that will inevitably herald changes in the team's overall strategy and playing ranks heading into the trade, free agency, and drafting period.

As monotonous as this might sound, when the history of the season is told, Max Gawn will stand out head and shoulders above his teammates. Not simply because of his obvious physical attributes but also because of the momental contribution he has made to the cause. It was no different on Friday night as he amassed 26 hit outs, 22 disposals (14 contested), seven marks and he took part in nine score involvements. 

Against the Magpies, he received great support from his well established lieutenants in the midfield in his vice captain Jack Viney, Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca. They were also backed up by many of the clubs premiership gladiators from 2021. But among those who also made their presence known was a young rising star who could well become the defining feature of the team’s engine room for many years to come.

Harvey Langford, the 19 year old, 190cm tall left-footed young dynamic rising star candidate added to the narrative with 26 disposals and a goal. 

There are several other emerging players who, like Langford, are poised to become integral components of Melbourne's lineup for years to come - the likes of injured speedsters Caleb Windsor and Xavier Lindsay, who were sorely missed, and Koltyn Tholstrup, who missed out on Friday but is rapidly improving and on the cusp of becoming a regular senior player. Although not outstanding in this game, Jai Culley, who is even taller than Langford, has been thriving since his promotion a few weeks ago. The younger brigade are the future in a team in which change is inevitable because the trend of losing winnable games must be reversed.

The trend persisted until the very end of the team's season. When Christian Petracca scored early in the final term, the Demons were poised to win due to their uncharacteristic accuracy in front of goal. However, they failed to hold their shape long enough to produce the upset by sustaining the pressure on the Magpie defence in the final twenty minutes. During that critical period, both teams had five scoring opportunities, excluding a couple of Demons' shots that went out of bounds. Melbourne scored five points, while Collingwood secured four unanswered goals and a single point. 

Close but too far away.

MELBOURNE 3.0.18 5.3.33 10.5.65 11.10.76

COLLINGWOOD 2.7.19 6.10.46 7.13.55 11.16.82

GOALS

MELBOURNE Fritsch 3 Melksham Pickett 2 Langford Petracca Petty van Rooyen 

COLLINGWOOD Elliott Schultz 2 Crisp De Goey Long McStay Maynard Mihocek Sidebottom 

BEST

MELBOURNE Gawn Oliver Petracca Bowey Salem Langford

COLLINGWOOD N Daicos Pendlebury Cameron Schultz Elliott De Goey

INJURIES 

MELBOURNE Howe (groin)

COLLINGWOOD Nil

REPORTS 

MELBOURNE Nil

COLLINGWOOD Nil

SUBSTITUTIONS 

MELBOURNE Harry Sharp (replaced Jai Culley in the fourth quarter)

COLLINGWOOD Roan Steele (replaced Jeremy Howe in the second quarter)

UMPIRES Brendan Hosking Nathan Williamson Robert Findlay Nathan Toner 

CROWD 60,611 at The MCG

I didn't know we actually won on the scoreboard.