DOB: 15 July 1995
Debut: Round 6, 2014 against Sydney at MCG
From: Hampton Rovers/Brighton Grammar/Sandringham Dragons, Selection #9, 2013 National Draft
Number: 3 (2014-)
Honours:
Premiership player - 2021
Games: 176* (to end 2024)
Goals: 26*
Career Statistics
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Winning % |
| 81 | 1 | 77 | 51.13 |
Initially picked as a midfielder with Melbourne's first selection in the 2013 Draft, Salem was eased into his rookie season as the starting substitute in five of his 12 matches for the year. He showed promise at times, and the highlight of his rookie year was kicking the winning goal in the Round 13 match against Essendon with 19 seconds left in the game.
His conversion into a running defender into 2015 was proving successful when a serious hamstring injury suffered in Round 7 derailed his season, and he didn't return to the senior side until Round 21. He continued playing as a defender in 2016 but suffered issues with a thyroid illness and was restricted to eight games.
Salem had a more productive year in 2017, playing 16 games but also falling victim to a mid-season suspension and form issues late in the year. He recovered to play 24 of 25 games in 2018 as a vital part of the Melbourne defence. He was again a regular in 2019, beginning with the year with a career best 32 disposals in Round 1, and playing a integral part in the first half of the season before issues with concussion kept him out for two matches. Signed a two year contract extension in March 2019.
In 2020 he was a constant presence in the club's defence, playing all but two games for the year. In 2021 he only missed one match on the way to playing in a premiership, but his 2022 season was affected by a knee injury suffered early in Round 1, keeping him out of the side until Round 12. Salem had another delayed start to 2023, sidelined with a recurrence of the overactive thyroid that left him inactive for a month, then a knee injury on returning through the VFL. He didn't play until Round 10 and struggled to have the same influence as previous seasons. A proposed move into the midfield in 2024 faltered when Salem was injured in Round 5, and by the time he returned to the side five weeks late he was required to return to defence in a struggling team.
| Year | Games | Goals | Brownlow |
| 2014 | 12 | 6 | 0 |
| 2015 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | 16 | 5 | 3 |
| 2018 | 24 | 6 | 2 |
| 2019 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| 2022 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 17 | 1 | 1 |
Tribunal record
| Round | Charge | Sanction | |
| Round 5, 2016 | Melee | $1500 fine | |
| Round 9, 2017 | Striking | 1 game | |
| Round 10, 2023 | Tripping | $2000 fine | |
| Round 13, 2023 | Striking | $3000 fine | |
Lists
9 point goals
First draft picks
Media
melbournefc.com.au - 08/03/2019
Age - 14/09/2023
Links
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Draftguru profile
True Zebras draft profile
Wikipedia profile