It’s exciting to think what Luke Jackson’s ceiling will look like when he reaches the peak of his powers. Photo: AFL MEDIA

MELBOURNE
2021 record: 20 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw (1st)

THE INS
Luke Dunstan (St Kilda), Jacob van Rooyen (Claremont), Blake Howes (Sandringham Dragons), Taj Woewodin (East Fremantle), Judd McVee (East Fremantle), Andy Moniz-Wakefield (NT Thunder)

THE OUTS
Nathan Jones (retired), Neville Jetta (retired), Aaron vandenBerg (retired), Jay Lockhart (delisted), Marty Hore (delisted), Aaron Nietschke (delisted), Austin Bradtke (delisted), Kye Declase (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
The transformation of the Melbourne Football Club into the pacesetter of the competition last year was absolutely tremendous. From missing out on the finals in 2020, to breaking their 57-year premiership drought a year later, the Demons, like the Tigers (2017) and Bulldogs (2016) before them, showed that fairytales really can come true. When you cast your eye over Melbourne’s best 18, there is not a weak link anywhere to be seen. Down back, you’ve got two of the best key defenders in the AFL together in All-Australian duo Jake Lever and Steven May, while the brilliant Christian Salem, Jake Bowey (it’s hard to believe he’s 19), Harrison Petty, Michael Hibberd and Trent Rivers provide a strong-as-steel scaffolding around them. In the guts, the Dees now have an on-ball division the envy of the competition, a fact emphatically driven home in the grand final when they came up against one of the AFL’s very best, and arguably deeper, midfield combinations. The Western Bulldogs were touted as pretty much the only team that could match it with Melbourne’s midfield unit, and boy, were those suggestions made to look foolish by about 9:45 on grand final night. Norm Smith medallist Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney, Angus Brayshaw and co., together with the Demons’ incredible ruck combination of Max Gawn and Luke Jackson, ended up tearing the Bulldogs to smithereens. Petracca, Oliver and Gawn finished with All-Australian jumpers too, while Oliver finished third in the Brownlow with 31 votes. They all played a big part in the Demons ending the year second for contested possessions on differentials, sixth for disposals, second for total forward entries and fifth for fewest inside 50s conceded. And then up forward you’ve got a three-headed monster in Bayley Fritsch (59 goals), Ben Brown (25) and Tom McDonald (33), complemented by the manic forward pressure provided by Kysaiah Pickett (40), Charlie Spargo and Alex Neal-Bullen. On top of that, the likes of James Harmes, James Jordon, Tom Sparrow, Adam Tomlinson, Jayden Hunt, Luke Dunstan, Sam Weideman and Jake Melksham are all battling it out for the remaining spots on the bench. Coach Simon Goodwin truly has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal. By winning their three finals by an average margin of 63 points, the Demons produced arguably the most dominant finals series since Essendon steamrolled its way through September in 2000. Their manic, chaotic, pressurised, surge style of footy, combined with their star-studded line-up, proved too much for the rest of the competition. All year Melbourne was head and shoulders above the rest, as evidenced by its dominant 11-2 record over the other top-eight sides. The biggest loss the Dees suffered was by only 20 points and despite “only” having the fifth best attack in the competition (still a fantastic achievement), they had the No.1 ranked defence. The Demons’ aerial power was unsurpassed last year too, and they were first for the AFL in contested marks on differentials, thanks largely to tall timber Gawn, Lever, McDonald, May and Jackson, while also coming in at No.2 for marks inside 50.

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THE WEAKNESSES
Nothing really to report here. Even when they played poorly last year, the Demons still found a way to win more often than not, which is a sign of a great team. Games against Sydney, Essendon, West Coast and Hawthorn (draw) were prime examples, and who could forget their incredible come-from-behind win against the Cats in Geelong in the final round? That legendary kick after the siren from Gawn (who would wreak havoc upon the Cats again three weeks later in the preliminary final) clinched the minor premiership in dramatic circumstances and set them on their course for September dominance. A lot has been made of the recent allegations levelled at Goodwin about the manner in which he treated club staff in the lead-up to season 2021, and the fact he came close to losing his job. But surely, it’s a moot point now. Six months later they were holding up the premiership cup after breaking the second-longest active drought. The players clearly loved, and bought into, his style last year.

ONE TO WATCH
It is so exciting to think about what Jackson’s ceiling will look like when he eventually reaches the absolute peak of his powers. Tall guys are supposed to take years to develop, not play a starring role in a premiership campaign at the age of 19. Jackson became so influential last year that during the grand final, Gawn was actually happy to stay off the ground longer than planned because he saw how dominant his young partner in crime was against the Dogs. The sky is the limit for this kid, and heading into just his third year with only 30 games under his belt, it’s hard to see him not bettering his 2021 output in 2022. To think the Demons were criticised for selecting Jackson and Pickett with their first two picks in the 2019 draft!

UNDER THE PUMP
A couple of contenders here in Weideman and Melksham. Weideman was once touted as the future key forward of Melbourne’s dreams, especially after his 2018 finals series, but he now finds himself well back in the pecking order behind Fritsch, McDonald, Brown and even Jackson and Gawn when they drift down there. He has signed on for another two seasons, but only managed five games last year, and unless injuries hit the Dees hard, it’s difficult to see him commanding a spot regularly in the 23 anytime soon. Meanwhile, Melksham heads into the final year of his three-year deal with a lot of work ahead of him to break back into the best 23. Pickett, Spargo and Neal-Bullen have all gone well ahead of him, and restricted him to a career-worst tally of 12 games last season (2016 WADA suspension aside).

BEST 23
B: Jake Bowey, Steven May, Harrison Petty
HB: Christian Salem, Jake Lever, Michael Hibberd
C: Ed Langdon, Jack Viney, Angus Brayshaw
HF: Charlie Spargo, Luke Jackson, Kysaiah Pickett
F: Bayley Fritsch, Ben Brown, Tom McDonald
R: Max Gawn, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver
Inter: James Harmes, Trent Rivers, Alex Neal-Bullen, James Jordon, Tom Sparrow
Emerg: Adam Tomlinson, Jayden Hunt, Luke Dunstan

The Demons are in a really good spot with Tomlinson, Hunt, Dunstan, Weideman, Melksham and Joel Smith all on the outskirts of their best team heading into their premiership defence. It’s not hard to understand way they are favoured to go back-to-back.