AFL 2025: Melbourne forward Jake Melksham on his out-of-contract status

He’s one of Melbourne’s most in-form players of the year – but an experienced Demon remains unsure if there’s a season for him beyond 2025.

In-form Melbourne forward Jake Melksham is in “no rush” to sign on for another season.

Melksham is poised to challenge his career-best goal tally of 32 in 2018, having kicked 20 in 12 games in the final year of his contract this season.

Melbourne is yet to hold any serious conversations with Melksham about his future and he is unsure if he would even accept the offer of an extension.

“I haven’t made that decision up in my mind. Once we talk about it, sit down, we’ll start to discuss the nuances of it all,” Melksham, in his 16th AFL season, said.

“I’ll have a chat with my family as well. I’ve got young kids that play sport on weekends – I think my son has played 10 games and I’ve been to two of them.

“He would probably like me at a few more of his games, but in saying that he does like coming to watch his dad at the ‘G as well.

“They’re all just little things we’ve got to talk about. As I said, I haven’t thought about much of it all to date.

“We’ve got eight weeks, no rush, I’m not going anywhere – I’ll either be at Melbourne or I won’t.”

Jake Melksham is unsure of his future. Picture: Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Melksham has grown in a leadership capacity in recent seasons, developing into an on-field coach of sorts.

But when the curtain does fall on his playing career, Melksham says he is more looking to chase lost time away from footy than a seat in the coaches’ box.

“At certain stages when I had my knee and I was putting time into that each week with the group, I enjoyed (coaching),” he said.

“I have a few other off-field interests I like as well that I am doing in parallel with my career at the moment.

“I think when the time comes, when I do finish up, I will stick to those.

“When you finish footy you want to get some of your life back; coaching is probably double the hours we do as players, we have it pretty good.”

Originally published as AFL 2025: Melbourne forward Jake Melksham on his out-of-contract status