National Draft
Wednesday 19 November (first round), Thursday 20 November (subsequent rounds)
| Selection | Player | From | Games |
| 11 | Xavier Taylor | Eastern Ranges | * |
| 12 | Latrelle Pickett | Glenelg | * |
| 30 | Thomas Matthews | Gippsland Power | * |
Rookie Draft
Friday 21 November
| Selection | Player | From | Games |
| 3 | Riley Onley | Shepparton United | * |
Kalani White was also drafted as a pre-listed rookie.
DRAFT CONTEXT & STRATEGY
Melbourne's Draft Hand
- Picks 7, 8, 37, 63, 65 (pre-draft)
- Final selections: 11, 12, 30 (National Draft); 3 (Rookie Draft); pre-listed (White)
List Changes
- 11-player turnover entering 2025 draft
- Charlie Spargo departed (free agency to North Melbourne)
- Christian Petracca traded to Gold Coast
- Clayton Oliver traded to Greater Western Sydney
How Picks Were Obtained
Christian Petracca Trade (October 2025):
- Melbourne received: Picks 7, 8, 37, future 2026 first-round, future 2027 third-round
- Melbourne traded: Picks 24, 28, future 2026 second-round
- To: Gold Coast
Clayton Oliver Trade (October 2025):
- Melbourne received: Future 2026 third-round pick
- Melbourne traded: Clayton Oliver (four-time club champion), future 2027 third-round pick
- To: Greater Western Sydney
- Note: Melbourne paying a substantial portion of Oliver's contract (which runs until 2030)
2024 Trade with Essendon
- In October 2024, Melbourne traded away their 2025 first-round pick to Essendon along with picks 28, 40, 46, 54, 65 from the 2024 draft
- In return, received Essendon’s pick 9 and future third-round pick
- This allowed Melbourne to draft Xavier Lindsay (pick 9) in 2024, who played 18 games in his debut season.
Free Agency Compensation
Melbourne received pick 41 as free agency compensation for losing Charlie Spargo.
Draft Night Movements
- Picks 7 and 8 became picks 11 and 12 after Academy/father-son bids pushed order back
- Four bids in first six selections pushed all picks back
Recruiting Team Quotes
- Jason Taylor on overall haul: "It's a really outstanding result, we feel. We had a real interest in Xavier & Pickett was in our draft order and we felt that it was a real need for us to bring in that small forward with real speed and goal sense and creativity"
- On draft strategy: "The other aim was to get a good mix of players, so I think you've seen that with the three boys we brought in. They're all pretty different, and will all add something a little bit different to the group"
Links
Wikipedia page