Melbourne veteran Harrison Petty will return to the Demons' defensive lineup to begin the 2025 season.
Drafted as a key-position defender in 2017, Petty played the majority of the 2024 season as a forward for the first time in his career, supporting youngsters Jacob van Rooyen and Bayley Fritsch.
Petty managed only nine goals from 20 games, with occasional bright spots including a three-goal outing against Gold Coast and a three-vote Brownlow performance against Geelong.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin announced the change at the Demons' annual general meeting and said they would continue to experiment with his position.
"We'll probably initially start with Harry Petty back through the pre-season, but we've got to be open-minded about the versatility he can provide forward," the 2021 premiership coach said.
"We'll have some versatility with Tom McDonald and Harrison Petty."
Petty has played 82 games for the red and blue, including their 2021 drought-breaking premiership against the Western Bulldogs.
Goodwin said the Demons' young forward group was a catalyst for Petty's reshuffle, with options such as Luker Kentfield, Matthew Jefferson, and Aidan Johnson coming to the fore.
"Fundamentally, we're going to be young. It's exciting," Goodwin said.
"We think they've all got enormous talent that they can bring to our group, but we need to be open-minded about how we structure up our forward line.
"We've got Jacob van Rooyen, Daniel Turner, and Luker Kentfield, who are our key forwards."
Luker Kentfield joined Melbourne in the 2024 mid-season draft, and at 194 cm, is touted as an exciting forward option.
He joins mature-age recruit Aidan Johnson, who made his name for Werribee in the VFL as a premiership forward.
"He's a big-bodied guy who can play key forward but can also be a second ruck for us as well," said Goodwin.
"Players will end up selecting themselves. The forward line will work itself out through the pre-season, but we're excited about what that's going to look like going forward."
