Melbourne’s Jake Melksham has become the AFL’s one-on-one king inside forward 50
WHO is the AFL’s one-on-one king close to goal? Forget Tom Hawkins, Dustin Martin or even Lance Franklin. Melbourne’s Jake Melksham is unstoppable inside forward 50. But that’s just one aspect of his stunning 2018.
Melbourne
Don't miss out on the headlines from Melbourne. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WHO is the AFL’s one-on-one king close to goal?
Is it Geelong’s hulking spearhead Tom Hawkins? What about Richmond bull Dustin Martin? Perhaps it is Sydney colossus Lance Franklin?
Wrong. Wrong .Wrong. After Round 10 this season the answer is surprisingly underrated and undersized Melbourne forward Jake Melksham, and by some margin.
The Demons forward has won nine out of his 14 one-on-one contests in the attacking 50m this season, with his career-best form a key reason behind the club’s surge to third on the ladder.
INJURY LIST: WHO IS HURT AND FIRING AT YOUR CLUB?
BIG WIN: LEVER HAS THE LAST LAUGH AGAINST CROWS
THE RETURN: VINCE ENVIOUS OF LEVER GRUDGE MATCH
Melksham, 26, is listed at just 186cm and 83kg and yet he is proving hard to beat in the most dangerous part of the ground.
The former Essendon player’s stocks soar even higher when you analyse footy’s ‘‘money kick’ — going inside 50m.
While Melksham is becoming unmovable near goal, he is even better at delivering the ball to the hot spot.
This season the Demons have retained possession from 23 out of Melksham’s 35 kicks inside 50m, ranked No.2 in the AFL and above elite ball users Martin, Scott Pendlebury and Dayne Zorko.
If you look at the ‘‘money kick’ men over the past four weeks, Melksham towers above the rest of the competition.
Since Round 6 the Demons have retained possession from a ridiculous 93.3 per cent of Melksham’s kicks inside 50m.
The next best is Brisbane Lion’s Tom Cutler (71.4 per cent) and Melksham’s teammate, Clayton Oliver, is ranked fourth at 62.5 per cent over the past month.
Many Demon fans were surprised when their club parted with pick No.25 in the 2015 draft for Melksham, a selection used by Essendon on Mason Redman (three games).
Melksham then sat out the 2016 season due to the drugs saga but has since repaid the faith shown by coach Simon Goodwin.
Melksham slotted 4.0 against Richmond on Anzac eve and then booted 5.0 against Carlton last week, a performance rated his best in six seasons by Champion Data.
The brutal return of co-captain Jack Viney, the hot form of out-of-contract players Tom McDonald and Angus Brayshaw and the improvement of recruit Jake Lever are hogging the spotlight as the Demons emerge as a serious player in this year’s premiership race.
But it is Melksham’s weapons in the front half that deserve a decent share of the spotlight.
Last season Melksham was used to tag Norm Smith Medallist Jason Johannisen when the Demons beat the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.
When they meet again on Saturday it is more likely that Melksham will be the man facing the clamp.
Source CHAMPION DATA
\
LIVE stream every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week trial & start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW >
Originally published as Melbourne’s Jake Melksham has become the AFL’s one-on-one king inside forward 50
Harry who Dees need: Who is the kid central to Lions’ trade plans?
Two fringe Lions loom as the key to Brisbane pulling off a bumper trade and draft combination. CALLUM DICK looks at why Harry Sharp’s request to join Melbourne will benefit the premiers.
‘Like Tipungwuti’: Demons eye historic draft play
Having trained with Melbourne last year and hitting it off with Kozzy Pickett, a dasher from the Northern Territory could make history at the draft this November.