Demonland

The premiership defender has shown signs of wear and tear due to age, and his 2025 season was inconsistent, ending poorly with a suspension and a noticeable decline in performance. The Demons are eager to integrate younger players onto their list and have indicated that they may not be able to guarantee him senior games next season, in what would be the final year of his contract. Date of Birth: 10 January 1992 Height: 193cm Games MFC 2025: 16 Career Total: 235 Goals MFC 2025: Career Total: 24

The young key tall failed to make progress during the season, with a decline in his goal kicking output. His secondary role as a backup ruckman, which may have hindered his ability to further develop his game, and he was also impacted by the team's poor forward connection. It will be interesting to observe his performance under a new coaching regime. Date of Birth: 16 April 2003 Height: 193cm Games MFC 2025: 16 Career Total: 57 Goals MFC 2025: 16 Career Total: 74 Games CDFC 2025: 6 Goals CDFC 2025: 12

Salem proved to be a valuable contributor as a reliable and solid one-on-one medium-sized defender in what was undoubtedly his most impressive season since the premiership year. He remains a highly capable rebounding option for the Demons as he approaches his 200th game at the club. Date of Birth: 15 July 1995 Height: 183cm Games MFC 2025: 23 Career Total: 199 Goals MFC 2025: 1 Career Total: 27 Brownlow Medal Votes: 3 votes Melbourne Football Club: Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy 5th Best & Fairest: 404 votes

Following an injury-interrupted start to the season, McVee struggled to maintain the standard he established in 2025 as he pursued an expanded role within the team structure. He remained a firm fan favourite and the club had hoped to negotiate a new contract with the former rookie selection from Western Australia, whose partner, Lily Johnson, plays for Melbourne's AFLW side. Those hopes were dashed when he expressed his desire to return to his home state and play for Fremantle. Like all players who have worn the red and blue and are leaving this year, we wish him well in the future. Date of Birth: 7 August 2003 Height: 185cm Games MFC 2025: 17 Career Total: 65 Goals MFC 2025: 0 Career Total: 1 Games CDFC 2025: 1 Goals CDFC 2025: 0

The superstar Demon midfielder made a successful return to the fold after his devastating injury last year and the subsequent fallout from the treatment he received, during which time he sought to depart the club. Petracca's professionalism and strong play, both in the midfield and up forward, were outstanding and resulted in him being runner-up in the club's best and fairest count. However, early this week, the club's new CEO, Paul Guerra, confirmed that the under-contract Petracca has again requested a trade, adding that he would only be allowed to leave for a “quality offer that turns our head". No doubt some Demon heads are already spinning. Date of Birth: 4 January 1996 Height: 187cm Games MFC 2025: 23 Career Total: 212 Goals MFC 2025: 18 Career Total: 202 Brownlow Medal Votes: 16 votes Melbourne Football Club: Sid Anderson Memorial Trophy Runner Up Best & Fairest: 479 votes

Today is the traditional date of the transition from the winter sporting season into the summer and a time for reflection on Season 2025. Although it may not have been as successful as Demon fans had hoped, it has nonetheless been a significant season at Demonland. We concluded the old season with a new coach, new CEO, a new Club Chairman in waiting, and our expectations are elevated in anticipation of a turnaround under Steven King, whose innovative approach is poised to yield substantial improvement and success in 2026. Furthermore, the Casey Demons demonstrated exceptional prowess with a remarkable second-half season surge to the finals, and our Melbourne AFLW team has surpassed the midpoint of their season, securing second place on the ladder. This is our opportunity to thank all of you our contributors for your participation in this difficult year for the Melbourne Football Club. In particular, I would like to thank Nasher once again for keeping the site together and to our feature writers, @Whispering_Jack, @The Oracle , @KC from Casey, @Meggs and all of our other contributors for keeping Demonland going throughout season 2025. Let’s not forget our Demonland Podcast co-commentators @binman and @george_on_the_outer who have kept us so well informed during the season and in parts of off season too (they should be back soon!), not to mention all of our listeners and callers on the podcast who keep the team on their toes. Also a big thank you to @Whispering_Jack, @Grapeviney and @george_on_the_outer and others on their tireless and often thankless efforts as Moderators. The team that takes the field under Steven King next year will look very different and hopefully much better than before. We’ll also do our best to make some changes here at Demonland for your enjoyment looking forward to the future. Bring on 2026 and Go Dees!!!

The former first-round draft selection experienced an average second season, marked by participation in several VFL games, as well as three matches in which he was subbed out. He is nevertheless, a highly regarded talent capable of playing on the wing or behind the ball, with additional aspirations of developing into a centre square midfielder over time. Date of Birth: 9 June 2005 Height: 185cm Games MFC 2025: 17 Career Total: 36 Goals MFC 2025: 2 Career Total: 10 Games CDFC 2025: 2 Goals CDFC 2025: 0

The AFL Commission has approved rule changes to remove the centre bounce and the substitute for the 2026 season. The league announced the change on Wednesday morning after “extensive consultation with clubs, umpires, players and the AFLPA”. The AFL’s manager of football performance, Greg Swann, said the game had evolved and removing the bounce would bring benefits in “several areas”. “Currently, umpire pathways are being narrowed by the requirement of the bounce. It is a difficult skill to execute, and we believe is preventing some of our best umpiring prospects from progressing any further in the AFL pathway despite having elite decision-making skills. “By removing the skill aspect of bouncing the ball, umpires can focus their energy on adjudicating the game and consistency of decision-making. “We also anticipate this decision will be safer for umpires and players at the contest and lessen the likelihood of umpire contact at the restart. “The removal of the bounce we predict will also have a positive impact in the reduction of game length and produce a cleaner and fairer ruck contest, two areas we have been monitoring for the past two seasons. “Additionally, it will also create consistency across national competitions.” With the removal of the substitute rule, clubs will name 23 players, with five players named on the interchange. “We have listened to the feedback from players, the clubs and the AFLPA to remove the substitute in favour of a fifth interchange player with rotations to remain the same,” Swann said.

The Demon stalwart surpassed the number of his father's appearances for the club towards the end of the season. As he approaches his thirties, his pace is inevitably slowing, and he is likely to explore alternative opportunities beyond the team's midfield. Date of Birth: 13 April 1994 Height: 178cm Games MFC 2025: 18 Career Total: 237 Goals MFC 2025: 3 Career Total: 69 Brownlow Medal Votes: 8 votes Melbourne Football Club: 10th Best & Fairest: 313 votes

The Demon premiership defender who has the reputation the master of intercept possessions as well as great leadership qualities managed only eight senior games this season as he battled injury and form, prompting speculation that he might be enticed to look elsewhere Date of Birth: 5 March 1996 Height: 194cm Games MFC 2025: 8 Career Total: 186 Goals MFC 2025: 0 Career Total: Games CDFC 2025: 2 Goals CDFC 2025: 0

The diminutive forward who starred in the 2021 finals and was a major contributor to the club’s premiership success, has struggled with injuries over recent seasons. He will move across to his father’s old club North Melbourne as a free agent next year. Date of Birth: 25 November 1999 Height: 172cm Games MFC 2025:10 Career Total: 108 Goals MFC 2025: 1 Career Total: 64 Games CDFC 2025: 6 Goals CDFC 2025: 1

“Disco” took his time (four seasons) but the mid-season draftee has been a shining light of Melbourne's campaign, improving to become a versatile option at either end of the ground. He has great marking skills which allows him to play as a marking target up forward or an intercepting defender down back. Date of Birth: 28 January 2002 Height: 194cm Games MFC 2025: 19 Career Total: 37 Goals MFC 2025: 7 Career Total 24 Games CDFC 2025: 1 Goals CDFC 2025: 5

The skipper delivered another outstanding season, leading the team from the front, participating in every game, and earning club champion honours, while also securing an equal record eighth All-Australian blazer as a ruckman. Max Gawn is arguably the greatest exponent of ruck skills in the history of the game; an exceptional leader who has guided the club to a premiership, through the challenging times that followed, and now into the next phase of its storied history. Date of Birth: 30 December 1991 Height: 209cm Games MFC 2025: 23 Career Total: 247 Goals MFC 2025: 6Career Total: 115 Brownlow Medal Votes: 23 votes Melbourne Football Club: “Bluey” Truscott Memorial Trophy for Best & Fairest: 592 votes

MELBOURNE Demons CEO Paul Guerra has written to club members It’s a great privilege to be writing to you for the first time as the CEO of the Melbourne Football Club. It’s an honour and I’m incredibly excited to be entering this next chapter, together. It’s been a few weeks since I officially started – trust me when I say I had been eager to get my feet under the desk for some time – and I couldn’t have asked for a better welcome. I have been fortunate enough to meet many of our members and supporters at various events and matches, sharing ideas, stories and traditions. As a club, we will aspire to be the best, driving high performance both on and off the field. Our President Brad Green and the Board have done a terrific job in setting the foundations for the next phase of our journey, and I am excited to work with Brad, and in turn Steven Smith, and the Board to build on that momentum. Earlier this month, we proudly made the announcement that Steven King will be our new AFL Senior Coach. Steven was extremely impressive in his presentation to the selection panel, and we were unanimous in the belief that he is the right person to take us forward. Steven will officially commence with the club this week, following Geelong’s grand final appearance over the weekend. We are delighted to welcome him, his wife Danielle and their children to the Melbourne Football Club. As we reach the end of the AFL season, I want to take a moment to thank all our partners who have been with us for the 2025 campaign. Their support plays a vital role in everything we do, and just as importantly, helping our players to perform at their best on the field. Hertz, who have been part of our family for decades, will continue their sponsorship with the club in a different capacity in 2026. This does create an opportunity for a new Co-Principal Partner to feature on our men’s guernsey and excitingly, we are already in conversations with a number of prospective partners. We look forward to sharing more news with you in due course. With the final siren sounding on the season, we know attention quickly turns to the AFL Trade and Free Agency period. There will be plenty of speculation over the next few weeks, and I would like to acknowledge that this can be unsettling for many of our members. While much will be spoken about, I implore you to keep tabs on our official club channels, being our website and social media, for accurate information. We will endeavour to share any updates in a timely fashion. No doubt many of you would have heard Christian Petracca’s name mentioned in recent days. As a footy club we couldn’t be more excited and confident in where our AFL program is headed. We know our future success will be built on people and players who are fully committed to where we are heading. We met with Christian late last week where he expressed his desire to explore a fresh start in 2026. Christian is contracted for a further four years and is a once in a generation player. With this in mind, any decision regarding Christian’s future will be made in the best interest of the Melbourne Football Club. In terms of our overarching strategy for this period, our focus is simple; we will explore every opportunity to strengthen our list. Our job is to ensure our list is the best it can be and that ultimately Melbourne Football Club is competing in September. To give you more insight, please click here to view a member-first interview with our AFL List Manager Tim Lamb, which seeks to provide a preview of what to expect in the weeks ahead. On field, it’s been a strong start to the season for our AFLW team, having notched up six, out of a possible seven, wins to date. Led by Senior Coach Mick Stinear and Captain Kate Hore, the group is playing a terrific brand of footy – one that I know they’re excited to build on over the coming weeks. It’s been fantastic to see the support of the Demon faithful, both at home and away, and I hope you’re looking forward to what lies ahead. Thank you again for the warm welcome I have received so far from everyone involved with the Melbourne Football Club. Together I know we can continue to make everyone proud to belong. I hope to see you at IKON Park on Friday night for our AFLW clash against Essendon. Go Dees, Paul Guerra CEO Melbourne Football Club