CHANGES 2025: Part 5 by The Oracle

Part 5: Bang Bang

At the end of the day, the trade and free agency period was considered fairly hectic time for the Melbourne Football Club by its usual standards. It was marked by the departure of three premiership players, including two all-time champions, Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca; and all told, eleven players, comprising approximately a quarter of the playing list, left the club. 

On the flip side, the club introduced four players with varying levels of AFL experience and ability in Max Heath (St Kilda), Changkuoth Jiath (Melbourne), Brody Mihocek (Collingwood), and Jack Steele (St Kilda). It could be argued that while the club's losses in terms of player quality are irreplaceable, they are counterbalanced by gains in terms of culture, leadership, integrity, and its future prospects.

Jack Steele, crossed to St Kilda from GWS Giants ahead of the 2017 season, and came to be considered many as their heartbeat. He served as captain of the Saints from 2022 to the present day, is a dual Trevor Barker Award winner and an All-Australian team member (2020 & 2021), effectively at the same cost as they relinquished for Oliver. This year, he passed the 200 games mark: his current games tally sits at 202 and he has kicked 70 goals. He is said to be slowing down a little but he’s still a match for Oliver in that regard.

Controversial Nine Network host Tom Morris deemed his recruitment the most “underrated story” of the trade period. They released a player whose off-field demeanour they were uncertain of and replaced him with Steele, who exhibits exemplary character. SEN’s Kane Cornes was equally effusive about Steele:

"Jack Steele is an upgrade of Clayton Oliver for me with more defensive capabilities. The Saints just gave him away, for nothing. This is a good pickup for the Demons."

Collingwood premiership player Brody Mihocek is another exceptional character and comes to the club on favourable trade terms. He brings with him 159 games (267 goals) experience and won the Magpies’ goal kicking award five times in eight seasons. The 32-year-old is an accurate kick for goals and will prove to be invaluable as a deep forward. His age is not a concern for the durable player who was a late developer and he fills one of the club’s vital needs.

Changkuoth Jiath is an excitement machine who will provide additional run and bounce off halfback. A concern surrounding him is that he has a tendency to be erratic at times, but his career statistics compare favourably with Judd McVee, whom he will replace in defence. Max Heath is a 204cm ruckman who has been brought in as an understudy for Max Gawn. A work in progress.

The Demons also come out of the period with a much stronger draft hand than they entered, which is important given the fact that we are two years away from the entry into the AFL of the Tassie Devils and their treasure trove of draft concessions. 

The club’s current draft hand is 7, 8, 37, 66 and 71 which is now 3,283 in terms of draft points, a considerable improvement on their starting position. It opens up scope for further trading of draft picks in jostling for positions in a highly compromised draft. This compares favourably against clubs like Collingwood (407), Port Adelaide (87) and St Kilda (71). The Saints have virtually no draft currency after their massive spending spree.

Additionally, the Saints have left themselves poorly off from a total player payments point of view. Having jettisoned the Petracca contract and at least half that of Oliver, the Demons are well placed to involve themselves in trade negotiations at this time next year. 

So ends a poignant chapter in the club’s history, marked by the transition from nostalgic memories of that remarkable evening in 2021 (only 13 players remain) to the beginning of a coming new era. Beyond the bittersweet moment of bidding farewell to past champions there lies hope for the future. 

Bang Bang.

FREE AGENCY

• Charlie Spargo to North Melbourne - Melbourne receives an end of round two compensation pick (41)

TRADES

• Fremantle receives Judd McVee - Melbourne receives a second-round pick (23)

• Melbourne receives Max Heath - St Kilda receives a 2027 fourth-round pick (tied to Melbourne)

• Melbourne receives Brody Mihocek and a third-round pick (71) - Collingwood receives a third-round pick (61) and a 2026 third-round pick (tied to Melbourne)

• Melbourne receives Changkuoth Jiath - Hawthorn receives a second-round pick (42) and a 2026 fourth-round pick (tied to Melbourne)

• Gold Coast Suns receive Christian Petracca, two second-round picks (24 and 28) and a 2026 second-round pick (tied to Melbourne) - Melbourne receives two first-round picks (7 and 8), a second-round pick (37), a 2026 first-round pick (tied to Gold Coast) and a 2027 third-round pick (tied to Gold Coast)

• Melbourne receives Jack Steele - St Kilda receives a 2027 third-round pick (tied to Melbourne)

• GWS receive Clayton Oliver - Melbourne receive a 2026 third-round pick (tied to GWS)

MFC PRIMARY LIST: —

Jed Adams Jake Bowey Tom Campbell Kade Chandler Bayley Fritsch Max Gawn Max Heath Blake Howes Matthew Jefferson Changkuoth Jiath Aidan Johnson Ed Langdon Harvey Langford Bailey Laurie Jake Lever Xavier Lindsay Tom McDonald Shane McAdam Steven May Jake Melksham Brody Mihocek Harrison Petty Kysaiah Kropinyeri Pickett Trent Rivers Christian Salem Harry Sharp Tom Sparrow Jack Steele Koltyn Tholstrup Daniel Turner Jacob van Rooyen Jack Viney Caleb Windsor 

ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY A 

Jai Culley Jack Henderson Luker Kentfield Andy Moniz-Wakefield 

ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY B  

Ricky Mentha Jnr 

* it is understood that basketballer Oscar Berry will also be added as a Category B rookie in 2026.