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Shane McAdam’s cruel Achilles tendon rupture – the latest setback in a career riddled with injuries – has added further mystery to the make-up of Melbourne’s maligned forward line.
The former Crow arrived at the Demons via a trade two years ago in the hope he could add a new element in attack, but played only three games last season and faces another extended absence following likely surgery after hurting himself in match simulation on Friday.
Shane McAdam was helped off the ground at Casey.Credit: Joe Armao
Melbourne’s big hope is Jacob van Rooyen, a 21-year-old key forward who ex-Demon Russell Robertson likened to a “young David Schwarz” for their physical likeness but also fearless attack on the Sherrin.
“I feel like I’ve put in a really strong block over the pre-season. It hasn’t been interrupted at all, and hopefully, it stays that way,” van Rooyen said.
“I’m really looking forward to [this season], and working with the group we have, and building off last year. I’m only 21, so I’ve still got a lot to learn [with] my forward craft.”
Van Rooyen kicked 58 goals across the past two seasons and shapes as a future star, but the Demons are yet to find a reliable second tall target to partner him.
Jacob van Rooyen is the centrepiece of Melbourne’s forward line.Credit: Getty
That is one of the reasons Melbourne were the fifth-lowest scoring team in the AFL last year, mustering a paltry 77.6 points per game as they tumbled to 14th on the ladder and missed finals for the first time since 2020.
Coach Simon Goodwin’s experiment with Harry Petty as a forward failed, and he will return to defence this year, while Matt Jefferson – the No.15 pick in the 2022 draft – is yet to play a senior game.
For all their draft success in different areas of the ground, particularly in the midfield, Melbourne have struggled to unearth a key forward besides van Rooyen, with Sam Weideman also a bust as a top-10 pick a decade ago.
They opted not to select one with any of their four first-round picks in the past two drafts, including passing on the likes of Jonty Faull, Harry Armstrong, Jack Whitlock and Thomas Sims last year.
Melbourne instead took a punt on late-bloomer Aidan Johnson, a “very, very aggressive” 193-centimetre forward out of VFL club Werribee and Lavington, with the 68th selection.
The club’s national recruiting manager Jason Taylor said at the time that he had tracked 24-year-old Johnson for several seasons.
“We think he could potentially have an instant impact for us,” Taylor said. “We’re excited by what he could become.”
The Demons’ two key forwards in their drought-breaking 2021 grand final triumph were the since-retired Ben Brown – secured in a trade with North Melbourne – and Tom McDonald, who started his career as a defender and is back there now.
However, their attempt to transform Brodie Grundy into a forward-ruck in his one season at the club backfired spectacularly; he was not even selected in their finals campaign that year.
Bayley Fritsch, a 188-centimetre lead-up forward, has kicked 38 or more goals in each of the past four seasons and is the most reliable option Melbourne have, while Kysaiah Pickett is one of the game’s best and most prolific small forwards.
Kade Chandler, another small forward, is also a regular goalkicker.
But the Demons lost Alex Neal-Bullen, their best game runner and pressure player, to Adelaide last year after he requested a trade home on compassionate grounds. They recruited fringe Lion Harry Sharp to fill the void.
Daniel Turner hopes to become a reliable target for the Demons.Credit: AFL Photos
The latest tall forward being used alongside van Rooyen in attack is Daniel Turner, another ex-defender who was the last pick in the 2021 mid-season draft.
Turner kicked 17 goals in 15 games last year, including three hauls of at least three. Melbourne rewarded him with a two-year extension in July.
Former Brisbane player Tom Fullarton, a forward-ruck, is also on the Demons’ list, and van Rooyen said having so many options was “a good problem”.
“There are still a lot of guys fighting for those spots,” van Rooyen said. “And they are all looking really strong coming into the year.”
