Demonland

The years are rolling by but May continued to be rock solid in a key defensive position despite some injury concerns. He showed great resilience in coming back from a nasty rib injury and is expected to continue in that role for another couple of seasons. Date of Birth: 10 January 1992 Height: 193cm Games MFC 2024: 19 Career Total: 235 Goals MFC 2024: 1 Career Total: 24 Melbourne Football Club: 9th Best & Fairest: 316 votes

It was another strong season from McVee who spent most of his time mainly at half back but he also looked at home on a few occasions when he was moved into the midfield. There could be more of that in 2025. Date of Birth: 7 August 2003 Height: 185cm Games MFC 2024: 23 Career Total: 48 Goals MFC 2024: 1 Career Total: 1 Brownlow Medal Votes: 1 Melbourne Football Club: 7th Best & Fairest: 347 votes

Once again the club’s top goal scorer but he had a few uncharacteristic flat spots during the season and the club will be looking for much better from him in 2025. Date of Birth: 6 December 1996 Height: 188cm Games MFC 2024: 23 Career Total: 149 Goals MFC 2024: 41 Career Total: 252 Brownlow Medal Votes: 4

After sustaining a torn ACL in the final match of the 2023 season Jake added a bit to the attack late in the 2024 season upon his return. He has re-signed on to the Demons for 1 more season in 2025. Date of Birth: 12 August 1991 Height: 186cm Games MFC 2024: 8 Career Total: 229 Goals MFC 2024: 8 Career Total: 188

The luckless Salem suffered a hamstring injury against the Lions early in the season and, after missing a number of games, he was never at his best. He was also inconvenienced by minor niggles later in the season. This was a blow for the club that sorely needed him to fill gaps in the midfield at times as well as to do his best work in defence. Date of Birth: 15 July 1995 Height: 184cm Games MFC 2024: 17 Career Total: 176 Goals MFC 2024: 1 Career Total: 26 Brownlow Medal Votes: 1

The first round draft pick at #13 from twelve months ago the strongly built medium forward has had an impressive introduction to AFL football and is expected to spend more midfield moments as his career progresses. Date of Birth: 25 July 2005 Height: 186cm Games MFC 2024: 10 Career Total: 10 Goals MFC 2024: 5 Career Total: 5 Games CDFC 2024: 7 Goals CDFC 2024: 4

The move of “Disco” to a key forward post looks like bearing fruit. Turner has good hands, moves well and appears to be learning the forward craft well. Will be an interesting watch in 2025. Date of Birth: January 28, 2002 Height: 195cm Games MFC 2024: 15 Career Total: 18 Goals MFC 2024: 17 Career Total: 17 Games CDFC 2024: 1 Goals CDFC 2024: 1

The following players have been delisted by their clubs and been promised they would be relisted as rookies if not drafted in the national draft - ADELAIDE Chris Burgess, Harry Schoenberg BRISBANE Darcy Craven, Darragh Joyce COLLINGWOOD Ash Johnson, Oleg Markov FREMANTLE Max Knobel GWS GIANTS Josh Fahey, Lachie Keeffe, Jacob Wehr HAWTHORN Jack Gunston NORTH MELBOURNE Toby Pink RICHMOND Mate Colina ST KILDA Brad Crouch SYDNEY SWANS Aaron Francis, Joel Hamling

The Demon’s key defender and backline leader had his share of injuries and niggles throughout the season which prevented him from performing at his peak. Date of Birth: 5 March 1996 Height: 195cm Games MFC 2024: 18 Career Total: 178 Goals MFC 2024: 1 Career Total: 5

Lack of preparation after a problematic preseason prevented Oliver from reaching the high standards set before last year’s hamstring woes. He carried injury right through the back half of the season and was controversially involved in a potential move during the trade period that was ultimately shut down by the club. Date of Birth: 22 July 1997 Height: 189cm Games MFC 2024: 21 Career Total: 183 Goals MFC 2024: 3 Career Total: 54 Brownlow Medal Votes: 5

The conclusion to Narrm’s home and away season was the inevitable let down by the bloody Blues who meekly capitulated to the Bombers. The 2024 season fixture handicapped the Demons chances from the get-go with Port Adelaide, Brisbane and Essendon advantaged with enough gimme games to ensure a tough road to the finals, especially after a slew of early season injuries to star players cost wins and percentage. As we strode confidently through the gates of Princes Park knowing an easy killing of Pies awaited, in our hearts and minds, we were resigned ourselves to the likelihood of finishing ninth. Indigenous Round kicked off with a traditional dance and a Welcome to Country by Wurundjeri man Colin Hunter Jnr prior to the first bounce. Following the tragic news of the death of 11-year-old Auburn South Primary schoolboy Jack Davey, the Melbourne players wore black armbands in remembrance of the young Demons supporter. Both the warm sunny Saturday afternoon and the Demons demolition of the hapless Magpies helped boost our collective Narrm spirit as our wonderful girls really turned it on. Oh, and how we could have used Kate Hore in FNQ last week! Kate consistently demonstrates she is a superstar of the competition and such a wonderful leader of our footy club. She’s an entertainer too, kicking three classy goals to be AFLW All-time leading goal scorer with 81 goals. Eliza McNamara starred again breaking through 30 disposals for the third time this year. Some are calling for her All-Australian recognition, Meggs agrees. The Pies did get to within 7 points early in the second quarter but from there on, it was one-way traffic. For the Pies, experienced pair Brit Bonnici and Ruby Schleicher persistently plugged away. Stalwart fullback Stacey Livingstone playing her last game was sent forward in the final quarter and scored a point to a few cheers. Rhi Watt stunned TV audiences announcing her retirement during a boundary line interview. She was carried off post-match in style with lots of smiles and a few tears. Our ninth-place finish should not diminish what has been achieved in 2024. We are really proud of how the playing group rebounded from the low point to finish in positive win/loss territory. Mick Stinear has an elite nucleus of experienced players from which to build on. You could tell at Ikon Park that the Demon fans really love this team and that the playing group is already steeled for a red-hot crack in 2025. For the Dees It was a day to execute the game plan, and it worked splendidly at times. At ground level, Hanksy and Kate’s passing are elite. It's wonderful to witness. Apart from the regular stars, we have seen solid improvement this year in a number of players. Chaplin has proven to be a stellar defender, Fitzy has had her best season by far, talls Gall and Campbell have grown in confidence and fan favourite Banno has really turned it on in the second half of the season. Lots to like. Coaches and next week Mick Stinear was proud of his team’s effort. He was particularly pleased with the improved connection and reward for effort. He said the group would be watching the Essendon v Carlton game together later evening. Spoiler alert: Carlton’s two best midfielders were late withdrawals and Essendon won by 6 goals. Mick felt the early season loss of core mids Loz Pearce and Liv Purcell hurt our chances. He praised the impact of Rhi Watt both on and off the field and she will be missed by everyone at the Club. Sam Wright said it was a tough season with so many injuries and the lack of continuity. He is optimistic that improvement will come from game system education and an improved ability to retain the ball in the forward half. That’s all folks! Go Dees! NARRM 3.3.21 7.3.45 10.6.66 11.8.74 COLLINGWOOD 1.2.8 2.2.14 3.2.20 4.3.27 GOALS NARRM Hore 3 Bannan 2 Campbell Fitzsimon Gall Hanks Pisano Zanker COLLINGWOOD Bonnici 2 Barnett Butler BEST NARRM Hore McNamara Hanks Purcell Zanker Fitzsimon COLLINGWOOD Bonnici Schleicher White Brazzale Cronin Cann INJURIES NARRM Nil COLLINGWOOD Nil REPORTS NARRM Nil COLLINGWOOD Nil CROWD 1,854 at Ikon Park POSTSCRIPT Meggs will return after the finals with a 2024 Season Review. He tips North to win the flag.

The 2025 draft selections (no order as yet) ROUND ONE Adelaide Brisbane Hawthorn (received from Carlton in 2024) Gold Coast Suns (received from Collingwood in 2024) Essendon Fremantle Geelong Gold Coast Suns GWS Giants West Coast Eagles (received from Hawthorn in 2024) Essendon (received from Melbourne in 2024) North Melbourne Gold Coast Suns (received from Port Adelaide in 2024) Richmond St Kilda Sydney Swans West Coast Eagles Western Bulldogs ROUND TWO GWS Giants (received from Adelaide in 2024) Carlton (received from Brisbane in 2024) Hawthorn (received from Carlton in 2024) Collingwood Essendon Fremantle Geelong Gold Coast Suns GWS Giants West Coast Eagles (received from Hawthorn in 2024) Melbourne North Melbourne Port Adelaide Richmond St Kilda Sydney Swans West Coast Eagles Western Bulldogs ROUND THREE Adelaide Melbourne (received from Brisbane in 2024) Carlton Collingwood Brisbane (received from Melbourne in 2024, received from Essendon in 2024) Fremantle Geelong Gold Coast Suns Adelaide (received from GWS Giants in 2024) West Coast Eagles (received from Hawthorn in 2024) Adelaide (received from Melbourne in 2024) North Melbourne Port Adelaide Fremantle (received from Richmond in 2024) St Kilda Sydney Swans West Coast Eagles Western Bulldogs ROUND FOUR Adelaide Brisbane Carlton Collingwood Essendon Fremantle Geelong Gold Coast Suns Adelaide (received from GWS Giants in 2024) Hawthorn Melbourne North Melbourne Port Adelaide Richmond St Kilda Sydney Swans Hawthorn (received from West coast in 2024) Western Bulldogs

Good question - they play Freo and I would think Kozzie will be selected. Pity the game won’t count towards his suspension.

Melbourne’s most important player who dominated the first half of the season until his untimely injury in the Kings Birthday clash put an end to his season. At the time, he was on his way to many personal honours and the club in strong finals contention. When the season did end for Melbourne and Petracca was slowly recovering, he was engulfed in controversy about a possible move of clubs amid claims about his treatment by the club in the immediate aftermath of his injury. Date of Birth: 4 January 1996 Height: 187cm Games MFC 2024: 13 Career Total: 189 Goals MFC 2024: 14 Career Total: 184 Brownlow Medal Votes: 16

Strong marking youngster who plays forward and relief ruck, continued to make significant strides forward in his career path. The Demons have high hopes for van Rooyen as he stakes his claim to become an elite attacking forward. Date of Birth: 16 April 2003 Height: 193cm Games MFC 2024: 21 Career Total: 41 Goals MFC 2024: 30 Career Total: 58 Brownlow Medal Votes: 1

JOEL Smith's AFL career is effectively over after the Melbourne player was suspended for four years and three months for anti-doping rule violations relating to cocaine use and trafficking. The AFL announced the ban on Friday afternoon after a lengthy Sport Integrity Australia investigation that ran for more than a year. Smith's suspension relates to five rule violations: A positive match-day test for cocaine after Melbourne v Hawthorn on August 20, 2023 Trafficking or attempted trafficking of cocaine on and/or between April 12, 2020 and September 7, 2020 Trafficking or attempted trafficking of cocaine on and/or between July 28 and July 30, 2022 Trafficking or attempted trafficking of cocaine on and/or between September 5 and September 10, 2022 Possession of cocaine on September 9, 2022 Smith, the son of former Melbourne and North Melbourne forward Shaun, has been provisionally suspended since October 9, 2023 after he returned a positive in-competition test for cocaine following the Demons' round 23 win over Hawthorn on August 20 in the same year. Taking into account his provisional suspension, Smith cannot play in any World Anti-Doping Authority-compliant competition until January 9, 2028. He can return to training in November 2027. It means that Smith, who played 42 games across six seasons at Melbourne, cannot play football at any level until early 2028, when he would be almost 32. He kicked a career-high three goals in his most recent game for Melbourne, the losing semi-final against Carlton in September 2023. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon welcomed the ban handed to Smith. "The outcome in this matter, in which Joel Smith has been suspended for more than four years, reflects the seriousness with which the AFL treats breaches of the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code and is a salutary lesson for any player using illicit substances that are prohibited under the WADA Code," Mr Dillon said. "The use of performance enhancing substances is strictly prohibited in Australian Football and the AFL will continue to work with Sport Integrity Australia to identify and prosecute the use of such substances In-Competition and other conduct prohibited by the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code." "The AFL does not in any way condone the use of illicit drugs. If a player chooses to use illicit drugs, the potential consequences are substantial, including risks to health and safety and of losing the privilege of playing professional football, as has occurred here." Smith is currently out of contract at the Demons, having concluded his most recent two-year deal this season.

Letter from Brad Green Dear Members, I hope this message finds you well, and that, like me, you’re looking forward to some positive results this weekend to help secure our AFLW team’s place in the finals. After a challenging start, our women’s team has shown tremendous resilience, emerging as one of the form sides in the competition as they prepare for Saturday’s clash against Collingwood. Let’s rally behind them and hope to see them in finals footy this November. As President of the Melbourne Football Club, I want to be up front with you. We know that 2024 was a tough year, both on and off the field. We faced some big challenges, and we recognise that certain off-field issues caused disruptions. We admit that some situations could have been managed better, and we're committed to learning from these experiences to handle the inevitable challenges more effectively in the future. Yesterday was a significant day for our club. While the focus was, deservedly, on acknowledging retiring CEO Gary Pert’s contributions, the announcement of Steven Smith’s commitment to stand up and support the club, the Board, and myself was equally important. The Board and I have been working hard to bring Steven into a position where he can contribute, and we look forward to the potential of him joining us in driving the club forward. As I’ve mentioned in previous communications, we have some important updates regarding both the AFL Football and Board reviews and at the bottom of this letter you will find details regarding Call for Nominations ahead of our Annual General Meeting. AFL Football Review The purpose of the review was to identify opportunities for the AFL Football program to return to finals in 2025. Over the past four years, the AFL program has achieved significant milestones, including a drought-breaking premiership in 2021, three consecutive top four finishes, and the inaugural McClelland Trophy (in conjunction with the success of our AFLW team). We entered 2024 with the expectation of playing finals, and not doing so was incredibly disappointing for our members, players, staff, and everyone associated with the Club. We understand that this competition demands continual improvement, and we are committed to doing the work in every aspect of our football program. This review involved over 40 interviews with players, coaches, football department staff, and external industry experts. Ex-All Blacks Manager Darren Shand, Gary Pert, and I conducted these interviews and meetings to gather comprehensive feedback. Darren Shand then used the interview findings to lead a series of workshops and collaborative meetings with on-field and off-field leaders, including Max Gawn and Jack Viney, to establish key priorities for improving our program in 2025. While much of the review’s details must remain confidential to maintain a competitive edge, we felt it was important to share the high-level findings and priorities with our members. Key Findings: - Our Playing List: The review identified strong confidence within the playing group and football staff that we can play finals next season. We have a very strong core group of players, but fast-tracking the development of our talented young players will be essential. Throughout the pre-season and into the season, we will prioritise and dedicate additional time in our schedule for coaches to focus on developing our first to third year players, ensuring their growth and progression remain a top priority. Members may have noted our commitment during the trade period to secure an additional top 10 selection ensuring we have two early picks in this year’s draft. This aligns with our decision to continue bringing in high-end young talent to complement our core group and return to AFL finals next year. - Staff and Structure: The review confirmed the strength of our football program’s leadership and staff, while identifying an opportunity to refresh energy and leadership within the Assistant Coaching group supporting Senior Coach Simon Goodwin. The review also reinforced the importance of our midfield as a critical driver of success, prompting us to create two dedicated midfield coaching roles as detailed below: Troy Chaplin will transition from managing defence to overseeing our forward line and team offence. Troy has successfully built one of the league’s highest-performing defensive units while nurturing emerging talent. The review recognised our highly talented young emerging key forwards, as well as our dangerous mid and small forwards. Troy's focus will be on developing cohesive structures and disciplines within our forward line. Nathan Jones joins us as a midfield coach focusing on stoppages. Known for his football intelligence and drive for success, Nathan is highly respected by the playing group. His recent playing experience brings fresh perspectives to the role which the review identified as an opportunity for improvement. Sam Radford will work alongside Nathan as midfield coach. Together, they aim to maximise our current midfield group’s strengths while integrating new talent in the midfield mix. Nathan Bassett joins the club and will lead our backline and team defence. With a wealth of experience, including a decade in coaching roles with Essendon and Port Adelaide and most recently at Norwood in the SANFL, Nathan’s fresh outlook will greatly benefit our program. - High-Performance Environment: The review highlighted the importance of empowering the player leadership group to play a greater role in shaping and sustaining our High-Performance environment, setting clear expectations and driving performance outcomes. This includes preparing our next generation of leaders through education and development. To support this, we have engaged an external leadership expert to implement a club-wide program with a dedicated focus on our player leadership group, set to commence when players return for pre-season training. In addition, Darren Shand will mentor both our on-field and off-field leaders, as we implement the various initiatives that resulted from the review. - Game Style: The review emphasised the need to refine our method of play, focusing on all facets of the game— with the ball, without the ball and in the contest. During the pre-season, our coaches will work on evolving our game style to maximise the strengths of our playing group, aiming for a style that not only propels us back into the finals but withstands the pressures of finals football. As a competitive measure, specific details of our game style remain confidential. While the review has highlighted areas for improvement, it also reaffirms that we are well-positioned to turn challenges into opportunities. With strong foundations in place and a clear path forward, we are committed to driving the Melbourne Football Club back to success in 2025. Board Review In tandem with the football review, the Board initiated an external governance review in September, conducted by governance and culture expert Megan Dwyer. This review assessed our structure, practices and composition to identify areas for alignment with best practice and our strategic goals. Key Outcomes: - Commitment to Improvement While the review acknowledged our commitment to improvement, it also identified areas where further changes would support our objectives. The Board is committed to embracing these recommendations and will continue evolving our practices as we implement them. - New Committees As part of our strategy to meet member expectations and bolster on-field success, we will establish two new committees: a High-Performance Committee and a Member Engagement Committee. These committees will bring in additional expertise to strengthen our approach in these areas. - Governance Working Group To maintain focus on continuous improvement, a Governance Working Group, chaired by Director Sally Freeman, has been established. This group will guide the implementation of review recommendations. - Strengthening Board Skills and Experience The review’s skills matrix analysis supports and expands on the Board’s objective to recruit highly skilled and experienced individuals who can support our strategic objectives and foster a culture of TRUE (Trust, Respect, Unity, Excellence). In closing, I want to extend my gratitude to all who contributed to these reviews. We acknowledge the honest feedback from our players, coaches and staff, which will be invaluable as we strive to improve. Most importantly, we thank you—our members and supporters—for your unwavering trust and passion. As we enter the Call for Nominations period, members can nominate for a Board position. As mentioned yesterday, Chris Barlow will be nominating alongside Steven Smith, while incumbents Sally Freeman and Dr. Angela Williams will stand for re-election. Our path forward relies on collective effort. With the reviews complete, our players and coaches are ready to put in the work needed to return to the finals in 2025 and we ask that they feel the support and energy from you, the Demon faithful, as we prepare for the 2025 season. Thank you once again, and as always—Go Demons! Brad Green President Melbourne Football Club