Melbourne plans to stay in AFL and AFLW premiership window for ‘8-10 years’

A bold prediction back in 2020 set the wheels in motion for two premierships and despite some troubles in finals, Melbourne has doubled down on a plan to stay in the flag hunt for the long run.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – MAY 19: Max Gawn of the Demons after the loss during the 2023 AFL Round 10 match between Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide Power and Narrm/Melbourne Demons at Adelaide Oval on May 19, 2023 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Melbourne believes it is in the midst of a decade of dominance as CEO Gary Pert declared the Demons plan to be in the flag window for up to 10 years.

The bold call came after the Demons tweaked defensive coach Troy Chaplin’s role in a bid to squeeze more scores out of an AFL side that was strangled into a straight-sets exit in September.

Pert went on record in early 2020 to pin club hopes to both the AFL and AFLW sides playing finals in each of the next four years and both winning a premiership.

While the Dees missed the AFL finals in 2020, the rest of those targets were ticked off, even as the male side went out in straight sets in the last two seasons and the female Dees crashed out in the same way this year.

Gary Pert is aiming high. Picture: Michael Klein

He told members during a forum on Tuesday night that the goal had been extended and the Melbourne board had ticked off a plan to stay in contention in both leagues for until 2029.

The Demons picked up Caleb Windsor and Koltyn Tholstrup within the first 13 picks of last month’s draft and have targeted young talls in recent years in a bid to find replacements for ageing stars Max Gawn and Steven May as part of a strategy to stay in the top-four hunt long term.

“We need to be in the mix for 8-10 years,” Pert said.

“You look at all the best teams, all the best teams are up for a long period of time, and if we can stay up for 8-10 years, that is our best chance at multiple premierships.

“We are not promising premierships every year but we want to be in the mix so this is an era we can all be proud of.”

Simon Goodwin is planning to score more in 2024. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

The Demons will aim to improve on their AFL attack in 2024 by adding more to Chaplin’s plate and putting him in charge of transition attack, as well as defence, in a bid to move the ball quickly and put up bigger scores.

The Dees managed just 16 goals combined in two losing finals last season and coach Simon Goodwin said the coaching group had since heavily reviewed the finals series.

“We have a great contest, a great defensive team, how do we maximise that by how we move the ball?,” he said.

“We are unpacking everything we do, our game plan, our method, our personnel, the quality of our conversion to look at how we can get better.

“We have to focus on creating the winning behaviours that will stand up in finals.”