No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor will be thoroughly assessed after being helped from the field following a major collision in the Tigers’ six-goal loss to West Coast in match simulation at Mineral Resources Park on Monday.
No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor will be thoroughly assessed after being helped from the field following a major collision in the Tigers’ six-goal loss to West Coast in match simulation at Mineral Resources Park on Monday.
By Jon Pierik and Marc McGowan
Updated February 17, 2025 — 1.39pmfirst published at 9.35am
Check back throughout the day for updates from pre-season match simulation and news from around the clubs.
No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor will be thoroughly assessed after being helped from the field following a major collision in the Tigers’ six-goal loss to West Coast in match simulation at Mineral Resources Park on Monday.
Lalor had been impressive up forward and through the midfield in his first serious hitout for the Tigers, booting two goals. But he was left dazed and feeling his jaw after he was hurt in an incident in the final two minutes of the three-term game.
Lalor was leading for a mark when his opponent Reuben Ginbey pushed him in the back and straight into Eagle Sandy Brock, who had taken an intercept mark.
Lalor, who barely had time to brace for the clash, lay on the field, and was assessed before he was taken from the field.
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Lalor is seen as the new Dustin Martin and showed why he is the future of the club with two goals. He began inside attacking 50 and delivered the Tigers’ first major after a strong mark and conversion from 30 metres, and converted from a similar range in the final term.
He spent about 50 per cent of the game through the midfield, and more than held his own at centre bounces and at stoppages.
He will work well alongside Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper when they return.
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Bailey and the Cats get their band together
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Bailey Smith has burst out of the blocks in his first game for Geelong with 10 touches in the first 15 minutes, his white headband making him impossible to miss. He has combined well with speedster Max Holmes, who has kicked a goal already.
The Cats have swung some changes, with Patrick Dangerfield starting the game forward, Sam DeKoning in the ruck and Connor O’Sullivan getting his chance deep in defence after one game last season, and showing enough confidence in the role to float forward and kick a goal.
Hawthorn has been more conservative. Blake Hardwick has started forward as he has all pre-season while Josh Battle is playing on the Cats small and tall forwards.
Why a search for a sidekick could make or break the Demons
Marc McGowan
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.”
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Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via Twitter or email.
Marc McGowan is a sports reporter for The AgeConnect via Twitter.
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