MEL

Melbourne

VFL: Casey Demons (VFL)

Squad as of Round 29

AFL Ladder

#7/1815–8–060 pts · 109.6%−2vs R23Official AFL ladder · after R24

#11 in squad health but #7 on the ladder — a 4-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 →

Season complete — knocked out in the Wildcard Finals, 29 Aug.

Return targets below are for 2027. Injury list as at 14 Oct.

Injury list — 2027 outlook

Carrying into 2027

(5)

Still expected to be unavailable when the new season starts.

Thomas MatthewsShoulder Injury (General)
SHXX — Shoulder Injury (General)
2027 · TBC
Jed AdamsPosterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Tear
KNLI4 — Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Tear
2027 · TBC
Brody MihocekUnstable Cervical Fracture
NF2 — Unstable Cervical Fracture
2027 · TBC
Andy Moniz-WakefieldACL Tear
KTCL — ACL Tear
Round 1 2027 target
Jai CulleyACL Tear
KTCL — ACL Tear
Round 1 2027 target

Expected fit for pre-season

(4)

Short-term injuries that should resolve over the break.

Jake LeverToe Ligament Sprain
FTLI — Toe Ligament Sprain
Pre-season 2027
Matthew JeffersonKnee Injury (General)
KNXX — Knee Injury (General)
Pre-season 2027
Blake HowesHand/Wrist Injury (General)
WBXX — Hand/Wrist Injury (General)
Pre-season 2027
Latrelle PickettConcussion
HDCO — Concussion
Pre-season 2027

Roster Durability

37 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

#11 / 18 league

11.87

Wtd Val Used

#17 / 18 league

Ever-Presents

Played all 23 rounds

73.2%

Availability

#12/18 league

Health Index

#11/18 league

9.1k km

Air Travel

8 interstate trips · #11/18

Severity Distribution

Minimal: 2Minor: 33Moderate: 10Severe: 4Long-term: 6

League Comparison

Ongoing Injuries: 9 (+25% vs avg 7.2)

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

Health Index: 54 — ranked #11/18

Weighted Burden: 76 — ranked #9/18

Home Grounds

Melbourne Cricket GroundMelbourne · ~11gPrimary

Players Used by Round

36 used · 8 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
Round 19	36	0
Round 20	36	0
Round 21	36	0
Round 22	36	0
Round 23	36	0
Round 24	36	0

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	6 days
Round 20	6 days
Round 21	7 days
Round 22	6 days
Round 23	7 days
Round 24	7 days
Round 25	7 days

Travel by Round

9.08k km · 8 trips · 8/24 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
Round 19	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 20	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 21	1.34k km	1 trip
Round 22	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 23	656.6 km	1 trip
Round 24	No interstate travel	0 trips
Round 25	No interstate travel	0 trips

Travel — Banked vs Remaining

9.08k km of 9.08k km banked (100%)

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	Flown
Round 20	7.08k km	Flown
Round 21	8.42k km	Flown
Round 22	8.42k km	Flown
Round 23	9.08k km	Flown
Round 24	9.08k km	Flown
Round 25	9.08k km	Flown

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	55
Unique Players Affected	33
Total Games Missed	156
Average Games Missed Per Injury	2.8
Average Recovery Time (days)	36
New Injuries (Last 30 Days)	0
Recovered (Last 30 Days)	0

Body Region Breakdown

Body Region	Total	Ongoing	Avg Games	Recurrences	Players
Knee	11	4	4.6	1	10
Wrist/Hand	8	1	0.7	1	7
Head/Neck	7	1	1.2	1	6
Foot	7	1	4	1	6
Hamstring	4	0	1.5	1	3
Groin/Hip	3	0	7.3	0	3
Ankle/Foot	3	0	9.7	0	3
Unclassified	2	0	2.5	0	2
Systemic/Other	2	0	1	0	2
Lower Leg	2	0	2	1	1
Shoulder	2	1	2	0	2
Arm	1	0	0	0	1
Thigh (other)	1	0	0	0	1
Pelvis/Sacrum	1	0	1	0	1
Chest/Torso	1	0	2	0	1

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

Recovery Performance

Player	Injury	Expected	Actual	Variance
Daniel Turner	Hurt a knee during the Round 24 game against the Western Bulldogs.	Aug 29	Aug 29	0 days
Kade Chandler	Fractured hand — has undergone surgery and is expected back in one to two weeks.	Aug 8	Aug 8	0 days
Caleb Windsor	Groin soreness — ruled out of the Round 20 game against Geelong after pulling up sore from training that week.	Aug 2	Aug 2	0 days
Jack Henderson	Knee injury, facing a fitness test. Listed on both the AFL official injury list and the Zero Hanger Round 21 index. Onset unverified against player_games — no AFL appearance in 2026.	Aug 8	Aug 2	-6 days
Changkuoth Jiath	Calf injury — pulled up lame early in the final quarter against North Melbourne in Round 19 and could not finish the game; the club described it as a lower-leg injury.	Aug 2	Aug 2	0 days
Daniel Turner	Rib injury — copped two accidental knocks to the right ribs from teammates (Jake Lever in the first quarter, Matthew Jefferson in the third) against North Melbourne in Round 19; taken to hospital by ambulance for rib scans.	Aug 8	Aug 8	0 days
Harrison Petty	Hamstring — named in the Round 18 side vs Richmond then withdrawn before the bounce (late change, replaced by Jack Melksham).	Jul 24	Jul 24	0 days
Bayley Fritsch	Finger injury — listed as a Test on the AFL R18 Medical Room. Onset unverified against player_games; injury date defaulted to R17 round start.	Jul 18	Jul 18	0 days
Max Heath	Shoulder injury — listed on Melbourne official club injury list (est. return: Test). Onset unverified against player_games; no AFL appearance R15-R17.	Jul 18	Jul 18	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

Showing 10 of 38 injuries with expected return dates

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

Recurrence Patterns

5 of 53 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
Knee	1	1/11
Wrist/Hand	1	1/8
Lower Leg	1	1/2

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