Round 1, 2026
Melbourne vs St Kilda
Sunday 15 March
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 44,577
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 3.3 | 9.7 | 14.9 | 18.12.120 |
| St Kilda | 4.4 | 9.5 | 13.11 | 15.17.107 |
Melbourne win by 13 points
Goalkickers: Jacob van Rooyen 6, Brody Mihocek 3, Kade Chandler 1, Jai Culley 1, Bayley Fritsch 1, Max Gawn 1, Kysaiah Pickett 1, Latrelle Pickett 1, Harry Sharp 1, Jack Steele 1, Caleb Windsor 1
Milestones:
First game
Latrelle Pickett
First game as MFC coach
Steven King
First MFC game
Changkuoth Jiath
Brody Mihocek
Jack Steele
200 games
Christian Salem
Brownlow votes
TBD
Coaches votes
9 - Jacob van Rooyen
7 - Max Gawn
1 - Jack Steele
1 - Caleb Windsor
Under new coach Steven King for the first time, Melbourne kicked its highest Round 1 score since Round 1 in an upset win. Jacob van Rooyen kicked a career high six goals, including five before half time. The sides traded the lead several times in the last quarter, before Melbourne broke away to a three goal lead midway through the last term. With captain Max Gawn playing the entire fourth quarter on the ball, they were challenged by the Saints, and the margin was cut to seven points late in the term before the Demons held on to win.
The sides traded the lead multiple times during the game, before
Best were Gawn, van Rooyen, and Windsor.
Media
afl.com.au - 15/03/2025
Links
Demonblog match review