With five weeks until this year’s AFL Mid-Season Draft on 26 May, the Demons are suddenly in the frame to be involved, with a few players having ongoing injury issues amid new speculation around possible retirements raising questions about opening up places on the club’s list.

At present the club does not have a list spot available and there has been no official comment about any proposed change to the list.

However, concern is growing for Harrison Petty’s welfare and his immediate playing future after his apparent delayed concussion sustained against the Brisbane Lions, with the defender requiring further testing.

Elsewhere, AFL.com.au reports suggest that Tom Campbell is considering retirement due to the injury that derailed his pre-season and left him in a neck brace for an extended period, while the unlucky Shane McAdam, whose contract expires at the end of the year, remains unable to resume training after the Achilles injury he suffered late last pre-season.

This leaves the possibility open for the club to apply the AFL Inactive List if the appropriate circumstances happen to arise. This is basically a mechanism that enables clubs to remove players with season-ending injuries or those who have retired mid-season from their active roster, thereby freeing up a list spot and allowing the club to recruit a replacement player through a specific draft window, in this case, the 2026 AFL Midseason Draft.

The rule has previously been the subject of some confusion so I will set it out in a separate post below.

The question now is whether the club will be in a position to change its roster and, if so, what type of player it should target. Both a tall defender and a classy midfielder would be valuable additions. Whoever we pursue must fit Steven King’s game plan of fast, attacking football.

The AFL Collective Bargaining Agreement 2023- 2027

Schedule 5A - AFL Player and List Management

1. AFL Player Lists

Each Club will maintain their AFL Lists during the Terms as follows:

• The number of AFL Players on the Club's AFL Primary List will be not more than 38 and not less than 36;

• The number of AFL Players on the Club's Category A Rookie List will be not mor than 6 provided that a Club must not have more than 42 AFL Players on their AFL Primary List and Category A Rookie List at any time; and

• The number of AFL Players on the Club's Category B Rookie List will be not more than 2.

2. AFL Inactive List

(a) A Club may apply to the General Counsel or Executive General Manager of Football to transfer an AFL Player suffering a season ending injury from its AFL Primary List to its AFL Inactive List. A season ending injury means an injury or illness suffered by an AFL Player which, in the opinion of the AFL Chief Medical Officer, after consultation with the Club Doctor, will prevent or is likely to prevent an AFL Player, having due regard to their health and safety, from participating in AFL Matches for the remainder of the relevant AFL Season.

(b) An AFL Player may only be transferred to the AFL Inactive List with the AFL Player's consent and with the approval of the General Counsel.

(c) An AFL Player who is transferred to an AFL Inactive List is ineligible to play in the AFL Competition or in any other Australian Football competition for the period from the date that AFL Player is transferred to the AFL Inactive List until the conclusion of the relevant AFL Season.

(d) Where an AFL Player is transferred to the AFL Inactive List, a Club may replace that AFL Player by selecting a replacement player during the AFL Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period or at the mid-AFL Season Draft Selection Meeting.

(e) A Club is unable to replace an AFL Player transferred to its AFL Inactive List after the conclusion of the mid-AFL Season Draft Selection Meeting.

The current state of the Melbourne Football Club’s player lists is:

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 Thomas Matthews Jake Melksham Brody Mihocek Harrison Petty Kysaiah Kropinyeri Pickett Trent Rivers Christian Salem Harry Sharp Tom Sparrow Latrelle Sumner-Pickett Jack Steele Xavier Taylor Koltyn Tholstrup Daniel Turner Jacob van Rooyen Jack Viney Caleb Windsor

ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY A 

Paddy Cross Jai Culley Jack Henderson Luker Kentfield Andy Moniz-Wakefield Riley Onley Kalani White

ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY B  

Oscar Berry Ricky Mentha Jnr

Melbourne has done well from the MSD with Daniel Turner and Jai Culley now regulars in the team although the latter was originally picked by the Eagles. Luker Kentfield is waiting patiently in the wings.

The biggest initial impact from a MSD draftee would have had to have come from Marlion Pickett who was picked up towards the bottom of the pack in the inaugural Mid-Season Draft, going 13th to Richmond in 2019 and famously made his AFL debut in the 2019 Grand Final victory for Richmond over the GWS Giants, kicking a goal and collecting 22 disposals in the club’s 89-point win.

Also picked up that year was Gold Coast’s John Noble who was picked up by Collingwood and played 112 games for the Pies before switching to his current team.

My nomination for the best MSD pick is Jai Newcombe who went from being a fringe VFL player at the start of 2022 to being named by the AFL coaches as the best young player in the competition after  he was drafted in the midseason of that year. Essendon’s Sam Durham, taken in the 2021 MSD has gradually risen in stature Another Bomber MSD in Massimo D'Ambrosio, taken a year later, is now doing well at Hawthorn.

Last year West Coast picked up a good one in Tom McCarthy, Essendon picked Archie May and Collingwood took Roan Steele from a lukewarm draft crop but the pundits are saying that this year’s crop is better in quality and has more depth but that remains to be seen.

It will be interesting to see how Melbourne treats the draft if it takes part. Does it go for youth for development or go for players who are ready to go?

The MSD is an interesting one because theoretically all the best players were either drafted last year or are waiting to be old enough to be drafted this year. Realistically there are very few players ready (skills, quality or fitness wise) to be drafted in from outside an AFL system and play immediately.

So what we've got seem to be:

• Surprise mature age recruits, who didn't do quite enough in 2025 to get drafted end of year but have shown a bit at start of 2026 and are likely to go later this year.

• Kids who weren't drafted end of 2025 but showed something since then (maybe a change of attitude or a better than expected adjustment to senior footy)

I think that one of the big issues affecting potential AFL players is the aerobic ceiling. Many players have the skills and game sense but can't match it athletically at AFL level. I feel like the MSD is a great opportunity for a free hit at such a player, giving them 6 months to be full time in an AFL system and work on fitness and aerobic capacity. The club can watch their GPS and fitness numbers and see the players trajectory, and if they have a high enough ceiling or not.

Any big bodied 195cm+ key defenders too look out for that could potentially go in the mid season draft??

My perfect outcome would be Campbell and McAdam retire and we pick up a big key defender and another midfielder