Melbourne have re-signed young utility Trent Rivers for four years to continue fleshing out their blueprint to remain a premiership contender for the long term.
The 2021 premiers – sitting third entering round five – lost Luke Jackson last year and still need to lock away the likes of Kysaiah Pickett and Alex Neal-Bullen, but their list management team, headed by Tim Lamb, has set them up for sustained success.
Trent Rivers is quickly becoming a key cog in Melbourne’s side.Credit: AFL Photos
Rivers becomes the 13th Demon to be signed until at least the end of the 2025 season, and they are all either stars or young players poised to be critical for the future.
Two of the game’s best players – Clayton Oliver (2030) and Christian Petracca (2029) – are among them, as are Angus Brayshaw (2028), ex-Magpie Brodie Grundy and Rivers (2027), and goalkicking dynamo Bayley Fritsch and Christian Salem (2026).
Captain Max Gawn, All-Australian key defender Steven May, vice-captain Jack Viney, backman Harry Petty and forwards Charlie Spargo and Jacob van Rooyen are committed until the end of 2025.
The biggest out-of-contract names at Melbourne next year are former Crow Jake Lever and winger Ed Langdon, who previously played at Fremantle.
Rivers, who is already one of the best kicks at the club, has mostly played as a defender since being the No.32 pick in the same 2019 draft where the Demons selected Jackson and Pickett in the first round.
But coach Simon Goodwin unleashed the 21-year-old West Australian in the midfield in last week’s victory over West Coast with spectacular results, including a career-most 27 disposals and 11 contested possessions.
All-Australian defender Jake Lever is out of contract at the end of 2024.Credit: AFL Photos
“We are really pleased that Trent has committed to the club for a further four years,” Lamb said.
“He is such an important part of our future, and we are excited to see where he can take his game. Trent is a humble and hard-working young man who is loved and respected by his teammates and coaches alike.
“He is willing to play whatever role the coaches ask of him, and this contract extension is another endorsement of the culture and environment that has been built under the leadership of Simon Goodwin.”
Melbourne have enjoyed a strong hit rate at the draft under Jason Taylor since he was appointed national recruiting manager in late 2012 – not only with prized first-round picks, but later in the order.
Fritsch, Spargo, Rivers, Petty, Neal-Bullen, Kade Chandler, James Harmes, Tom Sparrow, James Jordon and Judd McVee were taken with the No.29 pick or later, through to the rookie draft, while they traded for May, Lever, Langdon, Grundy, Ben Brown, Lachie Hunter, Michael Hibberd and Jake Melksham. They often parlayed second-round selections into mature-age recruits, but also were unafraid to pay a big price to bring players in if they felt they would make a difference.
Jackson’s wish to be traded to his home-city Dockers last year was a blow, but delivered the Dees the No.13 selection in the 2022 draft – which slid to No.15 – as well as first and second-round picks tied to Fremantle this year.
Melbourne chose promising tall forward Matt Jefferson with the first of the Dockers’ picks last year, and are the sole club with four selections in the opening two rounds of the 2023 draft.
Making that hand juicier is Fremantle’s slump from finalists to 14th through the first month of this season.
As it stands, the Demons would have pick five – before any potential compensation, academy, father-son or equalisation selections – plus their own first-round pick, on top of an early start in the second round, too.
Melbourne’s aggressive trade philosophy means there is a chance they will try to package some of those to climb the order, as they attempted to last year, when they had interest in Bailey Humphrey and Reuben Ginbey.
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