MEL

Melbourne

VFL: Casey Demons (VFL)

Squad during Round 19

AFL Ladder

#6/1811–6–044 pts · 109.0%Official AFL ladder · after R18

#11 in squad health but #6 on the ladder — a 5-place gap. Sitting higher than its squad health alone would suggest.

An association, not a cause — squad health is one of several factors (form, fixtures, list quality, finances) behind a club’s ladder position. League-wide trend →

Long-Term Injury List (4)

Players designated long-term injuries — sidelined 4+ weeks (AFL public-list threshold) or post-surgical

Player	Injury	OSIICS	Injury Date	Days on LTI	Expected Return
Jack Viney#7	Achilles soreness (December 2025) - worse than expected, complicated by flared back issue (Feb 2026). Has barely trained across summer. Managing with extra cautious approach. Significantly delayed start to season expected.	ATTS — Achilles Tendinopathy	Jan 1	LTI (158 days)	Aug 15
Jai Culley#13	ACL rupture (left knee) — sustained in RIC vs MEL Round 7 (2026-04-24). Scans confirmed ACL rupture. Season-ending.	KTCL — ACL Tear	Apr 24	LTI (83 days)	Feb 1, 2027
Andy Moniz-Wakefield#45	Ruptured ACL (second occurrence) during Round 12 vs GWS in Alice Springs — season-ending. Re-injury after returning from his 2025 ACL/MCL/PCL reconstruction.	KTCL — ACL Tear	May 31	LTI (46 days)	Feb 27, 2027
Brody Mihocek#28	Neck fracture sustained in a tackle (Frampton) in Round 13 vs Collingwood (King's Birthday) — temporarily lost feeling in his limbs and was stretchered off; scans confirmed a cervical fracture. Underwent surgery on 9 June, reported by the club as successful.	NF2 — Unstable Cervical Fracture	Jun 8	LTI (38 days)	Oct 1

Ongoing Injuries

Showing 4 of 4 injuries

Player	Injury	OSIICS	Severity	Status	Source	Injury Date	Expected Return
Xavier Lindsay#20 MIDUnrated	Hip/groin pain — onset during/after R5 vs ESS (Gather Round, 2026-04-11). First appeared on AFL official injury list R8. Expected return 1-2 weeks.	GTMJ — Groin Strain	Moderate · 2 missed	Injured	AFL.com.au[LOW]	Apr 11	Jul 26
Harrison Petty#35 FWDModerate	Hamstring — named in the Round 18 side vs Richmond then withdrawn before the bounce (late change, replaced by Jack Melksham).	MTMJ — Hamstring Strain — Recurrence	Minor	Possible return	—	4 days ago	This week
Bayley Fritsch#31 FWDIronman	Finger injury — listed as a Test on the AFL R18 Medical Room. Onset unverified against player_games; injury date defaulted to R17 round start.	WBXX — Hand/Wrist Injury (General) Recurrence	Minor · 1 missed	Injured Awaiting Diagnosis	AFL.com.au[LOW]	1 week ago	This week
Max Heath RUCInjury-prone	Shoulder injury — listed on Melbourne official club injury list (est. return: Test). Onset unverified against player_games; no AFL appearance R15-R17.	SHXX — Shoulder Injury (General)	Minor · 1 missed	Injured Awaiting Diagnosis	Melbourne FC[LOW]	2 weeks ago	This week

Roster Durability

45 rated players

Career durability tiers across the active list — Ironman (most available) to Injury-prone. A multi-season, OSIICS-aware measure of how a roster holds up.

Squad Health

Ongoing Injuries

Players with an unresolved injury

LTI Players

Long-term injury list

New (30d)

Injuries in last 30 days

2.8

Avg Games Missed

Per injury this season

Players Used

#10 / 18 league

12.15

Wtd Val Used

#16 / 18 league

Ever-Presents

Played all 17 rounds

72.9%

Availability

#12/18 league

−1vs R17

Health Index

#11/18 league

+1vs R17

7.1k km

Air Travel

6 interstate trips · #14/18

Days to Next

@ NTH · R19

Severity Distribution

Minimal: 3Minor: 23Moderate: 10Severe: 4Long-term: 3

League Comparison

Ongoing Injuries: 8 (+11.1% vs avg 7.2)

Avg Games Missed: 2.8 (-41.7% vs avg 4.8)

Health Index: 43 — ranked #11/18

Weighted Burden: 60.3 — ranked #11/18

Home Grounds

Melbourne Cricket GroundMelbourne · ~11gPrimary

Players Used by Round

36 used · 11 ever-present

Cumulative players used per round (36 introduced across the season)
Round	Players used (cumulative)	New this round
Round 1	23	23
Round 2	23	0
Round 3	25	2
Round 4	27	2
Round 5	27	0
Round 6	30	3
Round 7	30	0
Round 8	30	0
Round 9	32	2
Round 10	32	0
Round 11	32	0
Round 12	32	0
Round 13	33	1
Round 14	35	2
Round 15	35	0
Round 17	35	0
Round 18	36	1

Days Break by Round

7-day avg · 2 short breaks

Days break before each round
Round	Days break
Round 1	Season opener
Round 2	6 days
Round 3	8 days
Round 4	7 days
Round 5	6 days
Round 6	8 days
Round 7	5 days (compressed)
Round 8	9 days
Round 9	7 days
Round 10	6 days
Round 11	8 days
Round 12	7 days
Round 13	8 days
Round 14	5 days (compressed)
Round 15	7 days
Round 17	14 days
Round 18	8 days
Round 19	7 days
Round 20	7 days
Round 21	7 days
Round 22	7 days
Round 23	7 days
Round 24	7 days

Travel by Round

7.08k km · 6 trips · 6/17 interstate rounds

Per-round travel breakdown
Round	Kilometres	Trips
Round 1	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 2	2.72k km	1 trip
Round 3	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 4	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 5	656.6 km	1 trip
Round 6	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 7	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 8	711.9 km	1 trip
Round 9	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 10	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 11	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 12	1.89k km	1 trip
Round 13	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 14	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 15	656.6 km	1 trip
Round 17	441.4 km	1 trip
Round 18	No interstate travel	0 trips

Travel — Banked vs Remaining

7.08k km of 9.08k km banked (78%)

Cumulative travel by round for MEL
Round	Cumulative kilometres	Status
Round 1	0 km	Flown
Round 2	2.72k km	Flown
Round 3	2.72k km	Flown
Round 4	2.72k km	Flown
Round 5	3.38k km	Flown
Round 6	3.38k km	Flown
Round 7	3.38k km	Flown
Round 8	4.09k km	Flown
Round 9	4.09k km	Flown
Round 10	4.09k km	Flown
Round 11	4.09k km	Flown
Round 12	5.98k km	Flown
Round 13	5.98k km	Flown
Round 14	5.98k km	Flown
Round 15	6.64k km	Flown
Round 17	7.08k km	Flown
Round 18	7.08k km	Flown
Round 19	7.08k km	Projected
Round 20	7.08k km	Projected
Round 21	8.42k km	Projected
Round 22	8.42k km	Projected
Round 23	9.08k km	Projected
Round 24	9.08k km	Projected

Season-Ending Injuries

Players whose careers ended through injury in 2026. They no longer appear on the roster or ongoing-injury lists, but defined the club's season.

Tom CampbellRUCTorn neck ligament - innocuous collision at training, 1 month brace, neurosurgeon consultation

HLMJ — Neck Ligament Sprain

Retired May 15

Shane McAdamFWDRuptured Achilles tendon - sustained during acceleration in intraclub match (non-contact)

ATTR — Achilles Tendon Rupture

Retired May 25

Season Insights

Injury patterns and recovery analytics for the current season

Season Summary

Metric	Value
Total Injuries This Season	43
Unique Players Affected	30
Total Games Missed	120
Average Games Missed Per Injury	2.8
Average Recovery Time (days)	34
New Injuries (Last 30 Days)	3
Recovered (Last 30 Days)	6

Body Region Breakdown

Body Region	Total	Ongoing	Avg Games	Recurrences	Players
Knee	7	2	5.6	0	7
Wrist/Hand	6	1	1	1	5
Head/Neck	6	0	1.8	1	5
Foot	6	0	4.5	1	5
Hamstring	4	1	2	1	3
Ankle/Foot	3	1	4.7	0	3
Groin/Hip	2	1	4.5	0	2
Unclassified	2	0	2	0	2
Systemic/Other	2	0	1	0	2
Pelvis/Sacrum	1	0	0	0	1
Arm	1	0	0	0	1
Lower Leg	1	0	4	0	1
Thigh (other)	1	0	1	0	1
Shoulder	1	1	1	0	1

* Recurrences = Same player injured in same body region multiple times

Recovery Performance

Player	Injury	Expected	Actual	Variance
Harrison Petty	Hamstring strain sustained in the Round 14 win over Essendon. Described by the club as not too serious — expected to miss one game (Round 15) before Melbourne's Round 16 bye, with a Round 17 return targeted.	Jul 4	Jul 4	0 days
Lukas Cooke	Facial/cheekbone injury after a head clash with Essendon Ben McKay in the second quarter on debut vs Essendon (R14); ruled out of the match at halftime.	Jul 12	Jul 12	0 days
Caleb Windsor	Managed rest for Round 14 v Essendon (MCG, 2026-06-13) — Melbourne protecting the young forward on a five-day break, continuing to manage the big-toe ligament issue first sustained in Round 9. Precautionary; not a new structural injury despite the "injury" team-sheet label.	Jun 20	Jun 20	0 days
Latrelle Pickett	Quad corkie (thigh contusion) — listed as a Test on Melbourne R13 injury report. Minor; availability pending.	Jun 8	Jun 8	0 days
Jake Lever	Concussion — concussed in the dying stages of R11. Listed 1-2 weeks on AFL R12 injury list.	Jun 8	Jun 8	0 days
Changkuoth Jiath	Patellar tendon soreness (left knee) — picked up in R11 loss to Western Bulldogs (2026-05-24); ruled out of R12 vs Essendon. Originally listed as general soreness on AFL R12 list; MEL R13 injury report specifies patella tendon. "We'll determine his availability over the coming days as he integrates back into training with the group."	Jun 20	Jun 14	-6 days
Jed Adams	PCL strain (knee) — per MEL R13 injury report (formerly listed as generic knee, 6-8 weeks on AFL R11 list, May 19 2026). Did NOT play R11. "Still yet to achieve a couple of markers before he returns to running." Dynamic-work phase, 5-6 weeks.	Jul 18	Jul 12	-6 days
Caleb Windsor	Toe — Caleb Windsor set for Test this week per Melbourne injury report (2026-05-13). Specific diagnosis not stated by club. Generic foot OSIICS code used pending detail (anti-inheritance rule: no prior 2024 ankle inheritance).	May 24	May 24	0 days
Ricky Mentha	Ankle injury sustained in Round 8 vs Sydney Swans (2026-05-03). Timeline TBC. AFL R9 injury list.	May 24	May 16	-8 days
Brody Mihocek	Left hamstring strain sustained in Q1 vs Sydney at the SCG (Round 8, 2026-05-03) while tackling Lewis Melican. Scans confirmed moderate-grade strain. Timeline: 3-5 weeks. Melbourne injury report (2026-05-06): entering hamstring reconditioning protocol.	May 30	May 31	+1 day

Showing 10 of 27 injuries with expected return dates

* Variance: Green = Early/On-time (within 7 days), Red = Late (7+ days)

Recurrence Patterns

3 of 41 injuries this season are recurrences — a repeat of a prior same-region injury (OSIICS body-region match within 24 months).

Body Region	Recurrences	Of Total
Hamstring	2	2/4
Wrist/Hand	1	1/6

Recurrence is auto-flagged from OSIICS classification (same player, same body-region + tissue, within 24 months). Load-managed rests are excluded.