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Physical and tough tall defender who is aggressive in his approach and on field direction. Actually love this pick because of a future replacement for May. Played WAFL league this year so has already played against men. If he keeps his body injury free, would not be surprised to see him play a senior game.

Welcome Matthew Jefferson! Very excited for this pick although patience will be a virtue. I’ve been solely AFLW focused for the last little while so read this whole thread in one go and it makes interesting reading. My overall impression is that many are suffering from MFCSS or not remembering where our club is at. Sure our finals were underwhelming but we were right in both games and with a little luck and one of our best players and Norm Smith medalist not breaking his leg in the first quarter of our first final I’m confident we would’ve been in at least a prelim. The dissatisfaction is a sign we’ve come a very long way, tell me ten years ago that we’d be worried about taking the second best tall forward in the draft after a premiership and a semi-final and I’d have laughed at you. The comparisons to Cook and Watts are also strange. Both came in at a time where the club was a desperate basket case with few star players, fewer who would get games at the best teams for the time, terrible leadership and culture, a revolving door of coaches, a recruiting and development team that had almost no successes and the worst financial and facility situation in the AFL. Max Gawn was still smoking on the way to training FFS! Compare that to now, our development is elite, watching our VFL team for the last few years the improvement in our young draftees is marked, do they always tear their way into the AFL side, no, but go back and compare Woewodin, Turner, Chandler, McVee, Laurie and JVR’s first games this year to their finals campaign, it’s night and day! Jefferson will come into an environment with two of the best players in the league (Trac and Clarry) will train against the best defenders in the league (May, Petty, Lever) will watch the best rucks in the league (Gawn, Grundy) and will have to fight his way into a team that had BBB, TMac, JVR, Fritsch, Schache and even Petty all ahead of him as forward options. He’s unlikely to play this year not just because he’s light framed but because there’s at least five forwards a swing man and two rucks ahead of him for KPF spots, and that’s not even including the potential for Smith, Tomlinson to change roles or Melksham to get his round 21-23 form happening. I don’t want to re-open the development vs talent debate but I’d bet that a Watts or Cook coming into this program would get a lot closer to elite AFL standard than they did. Also I have a problem with the way Sam Weideman is, for the main part, talked about in this thread. He was not a total bust like a Cook, he was an almost. Both our AFL and AFLW premiership teams talk about how important the whole squad is and they mean it! Sam was a huge part of pushing BBB and TMac in 2021 and played a big part in our second place finish this season. His games against Essendon as FF, Brisbane as second ruck and the Bulldogs were ALMOST great. He also wasn’t always a terrible contested mark, he was a confidence player who lost confidence and got the fumbles at AFL level. Go back and watch how many almost marks he had this year. Watch his great contested mark against Freo just on half time when we were dominating in round 11. Go back and watch his first game against Hawthorn, his finals campaign in 2018. Watch his contested marks on Harry Taylor and Mark Blitsavs in our first final in donkeys years in 2018 against Geelong. Sam was almost what we needed, he didn’t quite get there, but he was also a key part of our premiership squad and deserves our respect. I hope Matt Jefferson is willing to work hard at VFL level this year and is pushing for selection in 2024, then we’ll be looking very good. My player to compare Matt to is Jhye Amiss, similar height and weight, similar attributes, good kicking, good marking, goal sense. Jhye played finals in a key position at AFL level this year. Those writing Matt off on a weight number should take note. Rip it up Jeffers!

Adelaide will be filthy we picked up Taylor Walker‘s son.

It's no secret that our team & gamestyle is built around competitors & toughness - players who will win 1v1s, punch above their weight (so to speak), and bring 2nd/3rd efforts. We're not a beautifully skilled team, our gameplan isnt attractive or free flowing. We're down & dirty. We win contests. This is why we wanted to trade up for Humphrey & had George in mind - brutes who play with authority & power. These are typical JT picks - Sparrow, Jordan, Bedford, etc. - none were the most polished or skilled players but they never die wondering. This is his MO & is his philosophy on how AFL footy should be played. From what we know Jefferson goes a little against the grain in this regard. HIs 'contested' marks (at least via highlights) aren't truly contested in a body sense - they're run & jump, outreach. He appears nice and agile & I like the groundball stuff I see in the videos, but apparently those moments are few & far between. Seems a nice kid without too many hard edges. There are some obvious parallels to Weideman across all these attributes...long reach, nice kick, nice skills, good athlete, nice guy. We waited years for Sam to add to his frame thinking this would improve his physicality but ultimately, he just couldn't take contested marks when he was bodied early. He doesn't play with any authority. KPFs in AFL without authority don't make the grade. Jefferson looks like a nice player, but his style would typically work well in a team that moves the ball quickly and kick to his advantage or an isolated/space situation where he has freedom to run at the footy. Weideman would do well in this type of team as well, and I expect he will be improved at the Bombers for this reason (+, nothing like a club change to pull your head out), noting their style under B Scott is TBD & their inability to win contest is why they've not recently been as good a team as us. I just think it doesn't feel like a Melbourne pick. A part of me thinks JT doesn't quite know how to pick KPFs - his preferred attributes (toughness, competitiveness, heart) are rarely seen in underage key forwards because Height, not power, is why kids are told to play forward in junior footy. Its why key position players are such a crapshoot at the draft In any case, all the players I preferred (maybe other than George, who's speculative in his own right) were off the board by the time we picked, so I have no issue with it. We've filled a need, he's a great height, and its all in front of him as to where he can go. I'm behind him 100%.

From today’s Herald Sun report:- HOWES THAT YOUNGSTER Blake Howes earned the plaudits of senior Demons by laying a crunching tackle on Christian Petracca after an attempted fend-off during match simulation. Howes, pick 39 in last year’s draft, wrapped the star midfielder up before dragging him down to the applause of his teammates. Even Petracca was happy with the effort, rising to his feet to tap Howes on the back.

Aaron Naughton in his draft year Height: 194.0cm Weight: 85.0kg Matthew Jefferson Height: 195.0cm Weight: 84.0kg Very similar

Height check (as long as Matthew isn’t standing on a box or Brodie isn’t crouching).

He kicked 7 against WA for Victoria, so he is no faint heart and he is to good looking to be compared with Hipwood. He isn’t Cadman who went No.1 but he is now ours and deserves some positivity and reassurance that he has been picked up because he is good enough and we wish him all the best.!!

I think that's fairly reasonable and I've had similar thoughts, especially with JT going for Weid over Curnow and McKay (and a bid on Hipwood). They had visions of Weid as a big pack crasher from an early age and whilst he could occasionally do that he often couldn't get his timing right. Weid really struggled to be a dynamic athlete too, the burst off the mark and change of direction just weren't there. And he didn't pick the ball up in flight quick enough at AFL level. There's so few 1 on 1 key defenders left these days and they're encouraged to attack contest and mark. It's not a wrestling contest as the ball arrives all that often. The wrestling still happens, but generally before the contest. Jefferson will have to get fitter and stronger to beat that style of defending but he has a chance. His contested marks aren't big push and shove style but his bravery and ability to contort his body, his reach plus his timing on his leads provides some hope. Hopefully he has the smarts and physical gifts to beat defenders in multiple ways, which then means he can set them up being unaware if he's going lead or jump on their heads. He can thrive in our current game style the way Ben Brown did at the end of 2021. But yeah, he'll have to do his share of dirty work and make some ugly entries look prettier than they are. If he's up for the scrap he can succeed.

Personally I am expecting to see Jefferson breaking into the team sometime in 2024 after two pre-seasons and building into a 6’5” 94-96kg strong marking straight kicking forward to support JVR. However that will depend on TMac and BBB’s ability to keep him out of the side. Loved the Jefferson family celebrations that he was coming to Dees, possibly helped by WCE not calling out his name.!!!

Well done to ex-Demon Corey Wagner who gets another go at it with Fremantle.

Glad we kept Freo's pick. I'm looking forward to the death ride next season

This is where we set these new draftees up for ridicule. Last night Jefferson was asked who he models his game on and he mentioned those two. EVERY draftee is asked in EVERY interview to compare their style to a current day player. No one is going to say a Weideman for example, they will look at the best. It is repetitive, unimaginative journalism and often these kids get labelled with big heads, unfairly.

Daisy was at pains to tell everyone who asked that the grand final story was NOT the Daisy Pearce story. She wanted people to focus on the Melbourne Football Club, our wonderful players and non-playing teammates, her legacy buddy head coach Mick Stinear, the assistant coaches, the Club volunteers, the Board, the administrators, #DeeArmy, all supporters, in fact anyone who bleeds for the red and the blue. But it is also a bit about the pioneer, role model, mother who is Daisy Pearce. The Daisy Chain that is today the Demon Chain that celebrates the club’s first AFLW premiership. Her leadership and partnership with Stinear were the driving forces behind the creation of the incredibly professional club it is today. It’s an environment that nobody wants to leave, where everyone wants to unselfishly play for each other and simply work bloody hard to improve themselves. It was a fascinating final, heart in mouth stuff, played with such fierce courage from both teams. From Round 5 through to the Preliminary Final no team was able to kick a goal against Melbourne in a final quarter. Well, our grand final opponent didn’t score a goal in any of the last three quarters. Dakota Davidson went close with a gettable set shot right on ¾ time but that was it. Competition leading goalkicker, Jesse Wardlaw, had scored a goal in every game this year. Guess what? Our 18-year-old 190cm fullback made sure that record was broken. Wardlaw had some reasonable delivery early on Sunday, but Tahlia Gillard’s excellent closing speed, anticipation and long arms prevented any of her chances. Tahls was awesome. Wardlaw had 3 disposals and a pair of zeros. Won’t it be interesting to see who gets the key back jobs in 2023 with the return of Gaby Colvin? Statistically, the teams were even in most of the key stats. Both teams oddly had exactly 118 kicks and 56 handballs. But to Meggs’ eyes from the second quarter the Demons appeared to be in control even though we weren’t able to score the goals. Brisbane star Emily Bates commented that she felt it too. Her side seemed to lack some spark and that was due to the relentless Demon pressure and sapping weather. In the end it was the collective mindset and uncompromising effort of the Dees that won the day. Meggs loved the performance of Hanks who is one of the most underrated players in the AFLW. A ripper. West and Paxy were awesome too. Westy’s grunt and attack on the footy together with her running mate Liv Purcell (after quarter time) just wore Bates and Anderson down. Everyone in the 21 contributed something really good on the day and no one ever gave up. Unheralded strong Brisbane defender Shannon Campbell played on Daisy and as a full back sweeper to great effect. Surprisingly from the losing team she was voted the best on ground. Collingwood star Chloe Molloy suggested that Eliza West had spearheaded Melbourne’s revival from their slow start and was certainly her nomination for best and most influential player on the ground. However, the judges saw it differently with Campbell 12 votes and West 11. Meggs shed a tear upon the final siren and would dearly have loved to have been in Springfield but settled for the couch with family. Loved hearing those #DeeArmy and fellow supporters cheers through the telly. Thanks for reading Meggs’ musings. It has been a pleasure to contribute to the #DemonSpirit. Q1 We had chance in the opening minute with D Pearce missing a snap on her left. Not a fairy-tale start. Thereafter it was all Brisbane with their only two goals of the match. The first from a nice lead and set shot from Davidson and the second, a centre clearance and then a Cathy Svarc free and goal. In the last minute of the quarter a promising Demons play sees Megan Fitzsimon about the score a running goal but AA young gun defender Nat Grider runs her down. It was most definitely the loudest cheers by the hometown crowd for the entire day. Little did they know. Shortly after the siren sounds, the teams head towards their respective quarter time huddles and a moral victory is claimed by the Lions. At quarter time Brisbane 2.0.12 to Melbourne 0.1.1 Q2 Tayla Harris missed a set shot early but finally after 10 minutes, a nice quick collect and handball to the running Mackin resulted in our first goal. Only 3 points in it now. Brisbane skipper Bre Koenen was injured in the same play and goes off for treatment for what we later learn may be a PCL. Tayla Harris collides hard with Bella Dawes and comes off with blood streaming down her cheek. Tay is tough. Dawes is off too. Sherriff has a set shot from the boundary but misses. At half time Brisbane 2.0.12 to Melbourne 1.4.10 Q3 Melbourne continues to dominate the territory battle but it’s furiously tight. After five minutes Liv Purcell, with strength, extracts to Kate Hore who passes deep to Harris in the goal square. The Dees hit the lead! Heath has kept the dangerous forward Courtney Hodder out of the game. Shelley always gets her jobs done and usually very well. Sherriff has an opportunity off the ground but hits the post. Conway kicks it through the goals, but thankfully it is touched. It’s tense. Brisbane has a number of late chances to score. Our team defence is holding up, just. Davidson with a mark and a miss right on ¾ time. Whew. Brisbane 2.3.15 to Melbourne 2.5.17, a 2-point game. Q4 The last quarter is a nail-biting affair right to the very end. Gillard showing her poise with another saving mark. Purcell showing incredible courage and strength to win a one on two. Gay has been great today marking and defending. Davidson kicks out on the full and Birch gives her an earful. Paxman goes off with a bad cramp. She has run herself into the ground. Sherriff having some nice moments. Mick has thrown Hore back to defend this slender lead, a good move. Finally, Zanker has a chance to score but her long kick is touched through. Melbourne attack with a long shot from Gay that is touched through yet again. It’s inside 1 minute now. Brisbane has one more forward foray but Kate Hore marks well at half back and kicks toward Hanks who takes an excellent diving mark. Tyla perfectly weights her long pass to Purcell who then kicks towards Zanker. Fitzsimon roves the loose ball but then the siren sounds. It’s a 4-point win and the Mighty Demons are the Season 7 2022 Premiers. Brisbane 2.3.15 to Melbourne 2.7.19 Time for presentations and celebrations and then on to Mad Monday! The Coaches: Melbourne Coach Mick Stinear said we seem to have struck the right balance with just enjoying the moment and playing for each other. When under pressure we just have this strong belief in each other that we get the job done. Indeed, we did Mick. We are the Premiers! Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich was proud of his girls. He highlighted their record over the last three seasons with 9:2 (wins:losses), 9:3, & 11:2. The Lions have played in four Grand Finals now and been competitive in all. Melbourne kept it in tight today, and surprisingly looked stronger the longer the game went on. A very tough match up today. MELBOURNE 0.1.1 1.4.10 2.5.17 2.7.19 BRISBANE LIONS 2.0.12 2.0.12 2.3.15 2.3.15 GOALS MELBOURNE Harris Mackin BRISBANE LIONS Davidson C Svarc BEST MELBOURNE Hanks West Gay Purcell Gillard L Pearce Paxman BRISBANE LIONS Campbell Grider C Svarc Anderson Bates Ellenger INJURIES MELBOURNE Paxman (head) BRISBANE LIONS Koenen (right knee) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil BRISBANE LIONS Nil CROWD 7,512 at Brighton Homes Arena, Springfield

Because forums are about opinions without evidence...

Perhaps he could help in the rewriting of our constitution?

https://www.countryman.com.au/sport/afl-draft/afl-draft-2022-peel-thunder-defender-jed-adams-reveals-draft-rollercoaster-before-melbourne-swoop-c-9006792 Wants to play like Steven May. Born in Kalgoorlie and from Mandurah. Might not be in such a rush to get back to Perth.

Great pick. Probably more excited by this pick than our first one.

plus…

My God. Petty energy just radiates from him.

North picking up George means they've smoked this draft. Scary team in a few years.

A funny thing about the last couple of seasons - I don't bother with these people any more. I'm too busy enjoying our team and this league (and now our premiership) to give them a second thought. I appreciate when others jump in to defend and explain, etc. I'm at the point now where I think, if you're not along for the ride, that's up to you. I'll be over here having fun. Informed critiques of the league are welcome, god knows I have enough of them. But stuff like that? Whatever. Having now watched the replay, Zanker was absolutely spent by the end, and she wasn't alone. Super effort. I have the lowest of low expectations for AFLW umpiring, and this game was a real showcase. The West one drove me absolutely spare! A real WTF moment. It's not her fault she was strong enough to advance the ball like that. Grrr. Tayla definitely saw red and I worried for the safely of everyone at "Springers", teammates included. She's one that just loses her (already pretty non-existent) inhibitions when injured. Another fave moment:

Tmac is not 33 ! Just 30 .

Just our luck he'll fall in love with a Perth girl.

She is an absolute legend, but if you're being ruthless her cliff is rapidly approaching. Regardless, if she goes it's obviously for personal reasons so would be hard to begrudge her after years of quality service.

Has the Brisbane captain finished her speech yet?

Finally! Congratulations Kade.

I'm the same. This is definitely the Jasin Taylor type pick. Huge upside if his body can stay fit.

Beat me by 4 mins @dazzledavey36 but my clip is bigger.

I'm no mathematician but I have heard of the law of averages and based on that law surely we are due to finally draft a successful key position forward. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe we've ever drafted a key forward that's gone on to have a career. Lyon and Schwarz didn't come in through the draft. Neiter was recruited as a back and started his career back before going forward out of necessity when Lyon retired. Robbo was brilliant but not a key forward. I didn't realise Neiter like Robbo was from Tassie. T Mac was recruited as a back. The only key forwards I can think of that MFC have drafted are not in order Newton, Molan Cook, Weideman and now Jefferson. My genius mathematical brain tells me statistically we are clearly due for Jefferson to be a Coleman medal winning success.

I’m genuinely at a point where I’m thinking we have no option BUT to look elsewhere from the city. We have been at this point of looking for somewhere to be near the MCG since I first started following Melbourne in the bloody 90s! We missed the boat on options that came our way, the likelihood of them coming along again is low, let’s look elsewhere. Still try to keep it near to the city (at least with a view of the city) but we are trying to find the perfect option and it might simply not happen.

He compared himself to Naughton and Curnow. Aiming high. I like it. Believe in yourself son.

Why doesn't everyone just wait and see how he develops.

Molly-dukerism is a blessing; it has spiritual significance; it highlights the extraordinary against a field of also-rans. The only limitation is that of the mind when attempting to use a pair of scissors.

Welcome to the Dees Jed! It didn't take us long at all to snap him up, he must have been a clear target.

Lets not get too excited! Weddle and Jefferson are the two players drafted 11-21 that were Tsatas' Oakleigh Charges teammates!! Who else would he nominate....

Time for an update please, need some real estate for our latest premiers.

Best post on this thread.... Period! PLUS his dad is 199 Cm so he might have a bit more growing left!! Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!🤩

I understand he’s not a Hawkins clone but the above shows a smart footballer that uses his body, vertical leap and reach to protect the ball drop and take numerous one grab contested marks. Let’s not forget Hogan had his flaws. As for Humphrey I might be in the minority but I’m happy we didn’t give up three first rd picks (all be it picks in the late teens) for him. For all of his physical presence there are apparently question marks over his disposal. I agree we are a contested side but we yearn for class finishers and I think Jeffery will give us that in years to come.

Footy has become a meat market with clubs, players, agents and the media all participating in the frenzy. It’s unpleasant but that’s the way it is. It gets worse each year. I am increasingly detached about it all and try not to invest emotionally in who comes or goes. Contracts no longer provide security to the player or the club. And speculation will continue to haunt the industry as player agents and the media have a vested interest in ensuring that a story keeps bubbling away. There will always be a core group of elite players that will commit to long term contracts but the rest will be fodder for speculation. I would be surprised if Kozzy commits to a long term contract given the emotional tug of family. His value to the club will depend on whether his heart is at Melbourne or elsewhere.

Nice mix of imperial and metric measures. Reminds me of US gas station pricing where they weirdly mix decimals and fractions.

I do not mean to be a Debbie Downer, and have full confidence that this kid will make it at AFL level, but those 7 goals were not exactly the result of pure dominant play. 3 came from infringements, two of which were iffy. A couple were Joe the Goose goals, and then there were some impressive lead marks and pack grabs, which really impressed. I have heard that his key asset is his sure hands. This came from kid who played alongside him in the NAB League. Obviously he is skinny and will need a lot of time to 'fill out'. Hopefully he does that over the next 2-3 years and can be a wonderful FF for the MFC.

Is it? I didn't vote Liberal in the election. My in-laws (Dees supporters) didn't either. Middle and upper class just as likely to vote labor or Greens nowadays. I agree with this. We've wasted enough time as it is. Find a location in the inner suburbs and just get on with it

You can't be serious. Gutnick was ousted in 2001 and up until then Olympic Park was in the hands of Athletics Victoria/Australia until Brumby, McGuire and Fildes did secret deals to obtain it for Collingwood in 2008. Gutnick, ignoring all his failings, deserves a life membership for helping Melbourne survive during the wretched merger period

I think the highlights are overselling his ground ball work. Pre-injury Charlie Curnow was mobile enough to play as a midfielder. I don't think Jefferson is anywhere near that level of mobility. But he's got a touch of class when he gets the ball which is the sign of a good player. And he's well aware that he has to contribute in that aspect of play which I really like. I love the Jarrad Waite call. He was a key forward with a heap of talent and nice all-round game who really took until late in his career to get the best out of himself. El Jefe compares himself to Naughton who is just insanely brave and also probably the best pack mark from any key forward. Yeah, I'd be pretty happy with that.

He was born in 2004. I have socks that are older.

I understand reflexive criticism of the game in terms of how low the scoring was in perfect conditions (apart from the crazy heat that is). But a critique based on the score alone is so simplistic and one dimensional. For one thing, from the perspective of a fully invested fan, the tension in that match was through the roof - which might help explain why i cried at the end of this game, not the men's GF win. I'm not a massive soccer fan, and don't follow any clubs, but i'm super invested when i watch the Matildas and the Socceroos. When you are invested in the result, the tension watching soccer matches is, it seems to me, part of the DNA of soccer, but really only becomes a feature of watching footy when the scores are close in the last quarter and each goal becomes more influential on the end result. But for me, i felt that tension right through the prelim and GF wins - and despite both games being low scoring i was never anything less than fully absorbed. Each goal had so much significance that it was not dissimilar to watching say the Matildas or Socceroos at a World Cup. The GF was off the charts in this regard. I thought that after the first quarter we were by far the better side, but the fact that we couldn't convert that dominance into goals (something that is so frustrating watching soccer when invested) meant that despite our dominance, one random, against the run of play goal late in the last quarter from the lions meant they could have pinched it (in the way the Germans salvaged a draw against Spain, despite being outplayed for much of the match). But the big factor critics that just focus on the score line seem to completely miss is that, unlike the AFL, in the AFLW, there is huge disparity between the overall standard of performance (inclusive of fitness levels, strength, skills, etc etc) and the standard of the defensive element of the game. Take the dees women's team. Mutiple seasons of exposure to elite level defensive strategies and systems - and of course elite coaching in these systems - have resulted in an incredibly effective defense - we conceded an average of 15 points this season, which is just nuts. Combine this with a rabid desire to win every contest and all team crazy pressure, such as we saw in the GF, and you have team that has elite defensive skills that in reality are well in advance of the opposition's overall standard (and ours too for that matter) and therefore ability to absorb, counter and score against. For a number of years i coached my son and daughter's basketball teams and found that we could be competitive even when other teams were more talented if we could be defensively strong, and the players understood and played their roles. The AFLW is this time a million. A perfect example of this phenomenon is Goldy. Her skills remain way off those of players such as Paxy and Hanks, but her commitment to defense, bravery, attack on the ball and understanding of our defensive system - and her role in it - mean that she is a key player in our team and a key reason why teams struggle to score against us. It will take time, but now that the women are being paid at least enough money to focus on playing footy, and more and more players are coming into the system having played footy since auskick, the gap between defensive skills and skills that support offence and scoring (eg kicking, marking, ability to give off under pressure etc) will dramatically reduce. And scores will go up. When we get there, a player like Goldy, for all her defensive brilliance, might struggle to get a game, because such a player will be competing with players who are coming into the system with an appetite for hard-nosed defence AND elite skills.