Jesse Hogan can be a hero as Melbourne enters premiership zone, writes Jon Ralph

MELBOURNE finally sealed a two-year extension for Jesse Hogan would stay, but make no mistake, Hogan can still be everything the fans want and need him to be, writes JON RALPH.

Hogan has re-signed with the Demons. Picture: Getty Images

JESSE Hogan walked into his Melbourne exit meeting angry with the world.

He wasn’t requesting a trade or desperate for the Demons to add another zero to a fat contract offer.

Instead, he wanted to talk about the last five rounds of the season.

Remarkably, those five rounds, where Hogan scored just two of his 41 goals for the year, were the subject of repeated media discussion.

Would they cost him that sweetheart deal?

Was he the once-in-a generation player everyone believed him to be?

If the 21-year-old would admit he still has some growing up to do, that determination to smooth out the flat spots was music to Melbourne’s ears.

They knew those five weeks — where Hogan could manage only 2.9 despite Melbourne’s strong finish — were inconsequential in the big picture.

The fact he was so desperate to rectify them only made them realise why they needed to sign him even more.

Jesse Hogan can be one of the game’s great forwards. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Finally they sealed the deal on a two-year extension until the end of 2019, but they had been confident for three weeks he would stay.

Make no mistake, Hogan can still be everything the fans want and need him to be.

By the end of those three years, this wildly talented Demons list should be right in the premiership sweet spot.

He still has rough edges to knock off and another gear to find in terms of preparation and professionalism off the field.

But to compare his numbers to the best forwards in the game is to realise his potential.

Compared to Lance Franklin, Josh Kennedy, Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron after 41 games, his numbers stack up on every level.

Make no mistake, Hogan will have to be everything the fans want and need him to be.

He averages more ranking points than all but Franklin (both on 77), more goals than all but Cameron, more disposals, more marks, more marks inside 50 and more score involvements.

A player many wanted to discount by year’s end actually had an amazing 83 scoring shots for the season.

He kicked 41.33 with nine missed shots at 49.4 per cent accuracy.

Hogan is actually a left-hander in most things including bouncing the ball, which explains his slightly awkward grip on the ball.

Jesse Hogan hit a flat spot last in the season. Picture: Colleen Petch

After 44.19 in 2015 — and with an emerging key-position foil in Sam Weideman — there is no reason he can’t be one of the game’s great forwards.

For all the delays, Melbourne held the trump cards.

They knew Hogan loved the city, new coach Simon Goodwin and felt there was an exciting future at Melbourne where he was a star but not the only star.

Yet nervous Melbourne fans saw him buy a WA house with his brother and knew his father was ill.

While West Coast openly expressed their desire to recruit Hogan, Fremantle kept their cards closer to their chest.

They always believed he would stay, believing the posturing was about contract worth than homesickness.

Now, the Demons fans who have watched the heroics of the Western Bulldogs can dare to dream too.