New-look Demons to play ‘three or four’ debutants in round one
This year, Melbourne will have a new appearance, with the alterations on the field becoming more noticeable as the Demons plan to feature three or four newcomers making their debuts in their opening match of the season this coming Sunday.
Coach Simon Goodwin stated that the Demons intend to quickly integrate their highly promising draftees from the previous year. They have been working on adjusting their strategy to improve ball circulation and offensive plays following their absence from the playoffs last season.
"I believe we likely have around four or five players who are newcomers to our football club and are vying for selection. However, by Friday, I expect that two or three of these individuals will secure spots in the team for the first time, which I think is quite thrilling news for the Melbourne fans," Goodwin stated on Thursday.
“We have Aidan Johnson, Matt Jefferson, you know, along with Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay all vying for selection. It’s fantastic news for everyone at the football club.”
Langford is a strong midfield presence who will assist in sharing the workload among Christian Petracca, Jack Viney, and Clayton Oliver. Lindsay, known for his agile yet tenacious style of play, has quickly acclimatized to competition with AFL athletes during the preseason.
Johnson, a robust key forward aged 25, is physically prepared to make his move up to the AFL after proving himself as a reliable goalkicker with Werribee in the VFL. This is promising news for Melbourne, since even though he stands at only 193 centimeters—making him somewhat small for a ruckman—he is an imposing player capable of taking on second-ruck roles. This would allow the team to maintain Jacob van Rooyen’s position upfront. Similarly, Jefferson, standing at 195 centimeters, possesses comparable versatility.
“We’re trying to transition everybody at our footy club, and our list management have been really committed to the draft in recent years and trying to bring young talent into our footy club, and we’re also trying to find a different way of playing,” Goodwin said.
“So we think the players who are put into our footy club can certainly aid the way that we’re trying to play and to establish a way that will take us to some more success.
The past summer and most of the previous year in Melbourne have been marked by speculations regarding the bond between the club and its two prominent midfielders, Petracca and Oliver. Following failed trade talks involving both players, Goodwin remains optimistic as he believes these relationships are either mended or improving steadily.
“We do feel like that [the pair look like they are getting back to their best],” he said.
“A big project for us has been to get our power around the ball back and those guys have been a big part of that, and getting them to play multiple different positions to help the team and get the biggest impact for the team.
“We'll organize things so that they can operate very flexibly in how they play, and essentially restore their top abilities to an extremely high standard. From what we observed during the preseason, they seem to be in great shape.”
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