AFL 2025: Melbourne forward Jake Melksham on his out-of-contract status
Melksham is poised to challenge his career-best goal tally of 32 in 2018, having kicked 20 in 12 games in the final year of his contract this season.
Melbourne is yet to hold any serious conversations with Melksham about his future and he is unsure if he would even accept the offer of an extension.
'I haven't made that decision up in my mind. Once we talk about it, sit down, we'll start to discuss the nuances of it all,' Melksham, in his 16th AFL season, said.
'I'll have a chat with my family as well. I've got young kids that play sport on weekends – I think my son has played 10 games and I've been to two of them.
'He would probably like me at a few more of his games, but in saying that he does like coming to watch his dad at the 'G as well.
'They're all just little things we've got to talk about. As I said, I haven't thought about much of it all to date.
'We've got eight weeks, no rush, I'm not going anywhere – I'll either be at Melbourne or I won't.'
Melksham has grown in a leadership capacity in recent seasons, developing into an on-field coach of sorts.
But when the curtain does fall on his playing career, Melksham says he is more looking to chase lost time away from footy than a seat in the coaches' box.
'At certain stages when I had my knee and I was putting time into that each week with the group, I enjoyed (coaching),' he said.
'I have a few other off-field interests I like as well that I am doing in parallel with my career at the moment.
'I think when the time comes, when I do finish up, I will stick to those.
'When you finish footy you want to get some of your life back; coaching is probably double the hours we do as players, we have it pretty good.'
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News.com.au
3 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Two words prove AFL got its handling of Izak Rankine case horribly wrong
The AFL have a zero tolerance approach when it comes to racism, vilification and discrimination. That's what every policy and rule book within league documentation states. This week however the AFL showed that tolerance has some wiggle room. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. For more than five days the AFL went back and forth with the Adelaide Crows after Izak Rankine used a homophobic slur against a Collingwood player. It took until Thursday afternoon for a ruling to finally be handed down with Rankine copping a four-match suspension. A ruling that was less than many in the football world had predicted and one that proved the AFL's supposed zero tolerance stance was anything but. For the sixth time in the past 16 months, the league found itself handling a situation where a player had delivered a homophobic slur to a rival. The first five instances, all under Andrew Dillon's rule, were dealt with swiftly and punishment was handed down without a drawn out process. Then came the Rankine case. Instead of standing firm, the AFL allowed the situation to steal the headlines for an entire week ahead of the final round of the season. The supposed zero tolerance stance was given leeway to allow the Crows every fighting chance of reducing Rankine's ban. Now we're not saying the Crows didn't deserve the right to appeal, but the AFL needed to prove this is a zero tolerance matter by handing out a ban in a swift manner like they have done with past situations. The league will say its delayed ruling had nothing to do with the fact the Crows sit on cusp of claiming the minor premiership with finals are just around the corner, but it's impossible to think otherwise when looking at the picture as a whole. Rankine's case was handled entirely differently to the five that had come before it. A fact that has not been lost on the football world. Former AFLW star turned media personality Kate McCarthy, who has become a leading voice around the league for speaking out about LGBTQIA+ issues, took aim at the league for going away from it's zero tolerance stance. 'If you look at all of the policies, all of the handbooks, all of the rulings in the AFL and the words that come after anything to do with racism, vilification, any sort of discrimination around sexual orientation or gender is zero tolerance,' McCarthy said on Triple M. 'I don't think we've seen zero tolerance play out this week. 'In the sense that he said what he said, it was proven that he said it, therefore the sanction should be handed down. That's it, there's zero tolerance. 'There's nothing that you can do or say to justify that and that is the sanction. 'I feel like that's what we've seen with every other incident that has played out in this. Clubs have accepted it, they've owned that what was said was wrong, the sanction has been handed out and we've moved on.' McCarthy said she felt for AFLW players at the Crows and says if she was in there shoes she'd be feeling anger towards the club for how it handled it all. 'There's been back and forth between the AFL and the Adelaide Crows and my initial thoughts in all of that go to the AFLW players at that football club that are openly gay,' she said. 'They're hearing that their football club is challenging a sanction that has been handed down for someone that has delivered a homophobic slur on field. 'If I was a player at that club, and I'm not talking on behalf of any of those players this is purely me, I would be really disappointed and a little bit angry at my football club for taking that stance. 'If you are accepting full responsibility like they're saying they have and they're saying Izak has, you accept it and move on and that's that. I don't know why there has been so much back and forth here.' The Herald Sun's Jay Clark pondered if the medical reasoning, listed by the AFL, deserved any benefit in the ruling. 'Do you put any weighting in the fact that Andrew Dillon today said they had factored in some compelling medical circumstances,' Clark asked. 'Now they haven't been explained. I think it's pretty obvious that it will be a mental health concern in this next period for Rankine. 'But does that fly with you?' McCarthy was blunt in her response. 'I can't judge on those (medical) circumstances, I have no idea what they are obviously we're not privy to any of them,' she said. 'My stance on that is, there is absolutely nothing you could say to me that would justify using a homophobic slur.' McCarthy wasn't alone in condemning the league for how it handled the situation with veteran journalist Gerard Whateley tearing the AFL to shreds. 'The Izak Rankine four-week suspension is such a disappointing moment from a disappointing administration,' Whateley said on SEN. 'It is the AFL's stand to rid the game of homophobic language… a campaign they began last season and from what we understand it is specifically Andrew Dillon's stand. 'And at the moment of greatest challenge he couldn't see it through. The penalty for the use of a homophobic slur without self-reporting is 5 weeks. 'This confected outcome hid behind 'compelling medical submissions'. All those involved know they can avoid accountability by using such an oblique phrase.' Whateley said the issue should have been dealt with in a swift manner regardless of who the player was, which club he played for and regardless of the time of year. '(AFL CEO Andrew) Dillon and his legal team should have travelled to Adelaide on Tuesday and sat with the Crows administration,' Whateley said. 'Dillon should have said the penalty is five weeks now let's hear your submissions. 'Dillon should have followed up with the penalty is five weeks now let's hear your appeal. 'And finally Dillon should have said the penalty is five weeks now let's go and front the press conference. 'That should have happened regardless which club and which player it was. This was the moment a struggling administration needed to hold firm in what it believes in and show unwavering commitment and leadership. 'But Dillon and his executive couldn't see it through. It's just so disappointing. And a little bit more faith is lost in those running the game.' The Adelaide Crows will take to the field on Saturday for their last home and away game of the season against North Melbourne before they gear up for the finals. Rankine, like the rest of us, will be watching on from the sidelines. Jeremy Finlayson (April, 2024) – three game suspension Wil Powell (May, 2024) – five game suspension Lance Collard (July, 2024) – six game suspension Jack Graham (July, 2025) – four game suspension
ABC News
3 minutes ago
- ABC News
Every great team must overcome adversity. Izak Rankine has just provided Adelaide its own opportunity
There comes a time in every great team's rise to a premiership where they come face to face with adversity. Adversity can come in many forms in sport, whether it is a rival team undoing your best-laid plans or perhaps an unexpected injury. It can also be self-inflicted, as is the case for the AFL's ladder-leaders Adelaide, which will now be without Izak Rankine for the next four matches as it looks to end a 27-year premiership drought. Rankine's suspension comes as no surprise, and while it is a detriment to Adelaide's premiership chances, it should be celebrated because the importance of finals matches and premierships pale in comparison to the problem that is widespread homophobia. The real surprise is the length of the ban. AFL boss Andrew Dillon did himself and the league no favours by refusing to elaborate on the "compelling medical submissions" that saw Rankine given a slim chance of reappearing this season, should the Crows make it to a grand final. In their apparent pursuit of trying to appease all the parties involved, the widespread reaction to the Rankine verdict suggests the AFL may have somehow achieved the exact opposite. Prior to this week, Adelaide was one of the best stories to come out of the home and away season, courtesy of a meteoric rise from 15th last year. In an era where many teams prioritise stopping the opposition before scoring themselves, Matthew Nicks's Crows have been an offensive juggernaut while being stout defensively, becoming one of the most watchable teams to grace the AFL in several years. Rankine has been at the heart of that, along with Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson, who has elevated himself into the Brownlow Medal conversation this year. There is no way to spin the on-field impact of Rankine's absence as a positive for Adelaide; he will be sorely missed. The bedrock of all great footy teams is reliability and consistency, and the Crows have delivered in spades on both this season. If you switch a Crows game on, you know what you're going to get. A sturdy defence that gets a job done week-in, week-out, a team that is able to turn defence into offence in a heartbeat, and a forward line featuring three key forwards that have beaten opposing defences to a pulp. Rankine is the X factor in all of this that lifts the Crows from a team that is really good, to one that is a genuine shot at winning the premiership. Every great team has this: the one player whose magnet the coach is willing to move around the board to really make things happen. It was Dustin Martin on the great Richmond teams, Jason Akermanis on the three-peat Lions, Cyril Rioli on the three-peat Hawks, and it's Rankine on this year's Crows. A game-breaker like Rankine is doubly important on the finals stage, where games are often tense affairs where teams have scouted each other to the nth degree. Adelaide came from behind to beat Hawthorn in Round 21 in a match that was played at finals-like intensity, and it was the perfect example of how important Rankine is to this Crows outfit. His final numbers, three goals and 16 disposals, don't tell the full story, but they never do with players like Rankine. With the Crows trailing by eight points heading into the final quarter, Nicks activated the Rankine switch. After attending just one centre bounce for the first three quarters, Rankine was plugged into the middle in the final term and wreaked havoc, picking up seven disposals, two clearances, and kicking two backbreaking goals while setting up another with a direct assist as one of five score involvements. What other players might manage in terms of impact stats in an entire match, Rankine can conjure up in 10 minutes of football; it's what makes him special. Outside of Dawson, Rankine is the only real game-breaker for Adelaide who can toggle seamlessly between the midfield and the forward line, unless you include big man Riley Thilthorpe, who often logs minutes as a ruckman while the Crows' first-choice ruckman, Reilly O'Brien, rests. With Rankine sidelined, even more of an emphasis will fall on Thilthorpe to ignite the Crows, something which he's shown an ability to do throughout the course of the year. Making matters worse for Adelaide, Rankine won't be the only dangerous small forward missing from the Crows' finals push, with Josh Rachele (25 goals in 13 appearances this season) also sidelined with a knee injury. Rachele has returned to running this week and no longer requires a knee brace, and is expected to be available in "two to three weeks". However, requiring him to go from rehab straight into making a major impact on a finals match seems like a tough ask, even if Rachele has shown a penchant for making the difficult look easy during his short career. For now, replacing Rankine and Rachele's output will have to be done by committee. There are simply no like-for-like replacements for players like them. Ben Keays has shown his ability to play at his best when the stakes are at their highest, and Nicks will be able to rely on him to rise to the occasion. Alex Neal-Bullen has proven to be an inspired recruit, and his finals experience from a number of deep runs with Melbourne, including a premiership win in 2021, will also prove invaluable. Rankine's presence has allowed Dawson to float in and out of the midfield during the course of the season, but it is now likely he will have to log full-time midfield minutes, and with it some potentially heavy tags. Adversity, such as what is currently on Adelaide's doorstep, offers an opportunity for growth and can often define an entire era for a club, both on and off the field. It is an opportunity for the club to grow as a whole as it looks to actually stamp out homophobia. Adelaide's powerbrokers need to drive home the fact that no-tolerance should mean exactly that, and no less. It may not seem like it right now, but this is also an incredible opportunity for Rankine. Rankine will turn 26 in the early months of next season, his seventh in the AFL system. He is no longer a precocious young talent, but rather someone required to set an example for the teenagers coming through at Adelaide. If he harbours aspirations of being a legitimate leader at the club, his behaviour following this incident will determine whether he is able to achieve that dream. There is also an opportunity for Rankine's teammates as his absence forces someone else to step up and be a game-breaker. The Crows adopting a next-man-up mentality on the field will make them a better outfit when Rankine returns to the fold. Nicks would have anticipated his team's first real test of their premiership mettle would come when they take the field for their first final and beyond. But after a home and away season that has been relatively smooth sailing, gut-check time is here a little earlier than anticipated.
News.com.au
33 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Cameron Green's bowling comeback could force Aussie batting reshuffle
Cameron Green wants to be back bowling before the Ashes with some testers possible in the Sheffield Shield. The all-rounder's return to bowling could mean a move from the No.3 batting position and change the dynamic of the Australian top order. The 26-year-old hasn't bowled in a game since having back surgery last year that resulted in him missing the entire Test summer. Green has made a positive return with the bat in four Tests, beginning with the World Test Championship final and the three-Test tour of the Caribbean, and has also become a key member of Australia's ODI and T20 teams. But with an eye on the Ashes, Green confirmed he wanted to return to bowling to add another dimension to the national team against England, having begun rolling his arm over in training. 'I'm not quite certain on what match (he'll bowl), but I'm feeling really good, in a really good spot,' he said. 'It's exciting being back bowling at a reasonable intensity' Green has managed a half-century and two scores in the 40s batting in the No.3 role, which began with two single figures scores against South Africa at Lord's. With question marks over Australia's opening combination for the opening Ashes Test in Perth in November, Green said it was a 'wait and see' where he'd bat. 'You never know,' Green said. 'I think there's certainly a lot of guys that can fill that role. I'm really proud that I was able to do a role up there, but wait and see.' Steve Smith is set to bat at No.4 and Travis Head is locked in at five. All-rounder Beau Webster has filled the No.6 spot but knows that could change should Green bowl again. The focus will be on four Sheffield Shield games before the first Test, and Green has flagged getting in some game time with Western Australia to bat and most likely bowl. 'In the past, it's worked really well when I focused on Shield cricket,' Green said. 'So I think that potentially might be the way to go down, especially with working my way back with bowling. Potentially get a few more overs over a few more days might be the best way to go about it. 'It's been a long road back.'
