A pair of untried Melbourne forwards look to be fighting for a vacancy in the Demons' front third to start the 2025 season as the club plans to find the right attacking mix this pre-season.
Former first-round draft selection Matthew Jefferson is hoping to break through for a debut next year after two seasons spent in the VFL, with the 20-year-old booting 52 goals from his 37 games at the level as he continues to develop as a key forward.
The 2022 Pick 15 draft selection will have competition for the role to replace swingman Harrison Petty, who will return to the backline after being trialled as a forward this year.
Petty's switch to Simon Goodwin's rearguard will likely mean the Demons' attacking unit - led by Jacob van Rooyen, Bayley Fritsch and Kysaiah Pickett - will call on assistance in the form of a key position player.
Jefferson, a 195cm forward, will hope to mirror van Rooyen's rise after he spent his entire first season at the lower level before being utilised as the club's spearhead, with the uncapped Jefferson hoping to join him and Daniel Turner as tall targets in the senior side.
Melbourne look set to pit Jefferson against mature-aged draft addition Aidan Johnson for a role in the forward line, with the latter impressing this pre-season with his physicality and aerial impact.
Wednesday's session at Gosch's Paddock gave Demons coaches a glimpse of Jefferson and Johnson working alongside van Rooyen deep in attack, with premiership backman Steven May often proving to be a headache for all three.
Johnson, who was plucked out of Werribee following a premiership season in the VFL, has been given the stage alongside Jefferson to show their value as the likes of Turner, Tom Fullarton and Jake Melksham deal with injury matters early into their 2025 preparations.
Melbourne, who have flagged a desire to find consistency in the front half over recent seasons, are lacking a deep roster of tall forwards after Petty's move to the backline and the off-season exits of Ben Brown, Josh Schache and Joel Smith.
Mid-Season Draft addition Luker Kentfield is the other key forward on standby, with Jefferson and Johnson seemingly ahead of the Subiaco product in the club's pecking order.
Meanwhile, if it was Clayton Oliver on Monday, fellow superstar midfielder Christian Petracca was the standout in Melbourne's latest training session.
The Demons bull was dominant in the middle of the field during his club's match simulation drills, with his defensive work and strength on the ball being sure signs the Norm Smith Medal winner is back to full fitness.
Petracca - who had the third-highest average for Brownlow votes per game in 2024 - endured a well-documented 2024 season as he underwent a lengthy recovery from a lacerated spleen, four broken ribs, and a punctured lung sustained in a marking contest in the King's Birthday game against Collingwood.
His prolonged period on the sidelines and Melbourne's force period of experimentation in midfield amid an inauspicious season could prove to be a benefit for Goodwin next year, with defender Trent Rivers and the aforementioned Pickett developing their games outside of their traditional positions.
Both Rivers and Pickett look set to add further layers and points of difference to a midfield group consisting of stars Petracca, Oliver and Jack Viney, with draftees Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay hoping to break through for midfield minutes in their debut seasons also.
Langford is capable of playing as a tall midfielder and could add height to Melbourne's front third as well, while Lindsay is capable of playing as an outside midfielder or half-back. Second-year Demons speedster Caleb Windsor looks primed to take on similar roles, having trained with the defenders recently after a solid first season on the wing.
Lindsay, who is recovering from a knee injury, was joined by senior Demons Jake Lever, Charlie Spargo, Shane McAdam, Jake Melksham, Tom Fullarton, Daniel Turner and Taj Woewodin in training away from the main group on Wednesday.
Melbourne captain Max Gawn did not take part in any drills, instead watching on from the sidelines as the Demons' training block for 2025 neared an end.
The Demons are scheduled to head to Mandurah in early March for their Community Series clash against Fremantle, with their first hitout of the pre-season - likely to fall a week prior - yet to be confirmed.
Melbourne will face GWS at the MCG on Sunday, March 16 for their first game of the premiership season.
