Melbourne select Jake Melksham with pick No.12 in the 2023 Rookie Draft.
Monday, 7 November 2022
Michael Hibberd and Jake Melksham sign one-year contract extensions with the Demons.
"Michael and Jake played important roles for us last season and are as hungry as ever to be part of our journey moving forward. We look forward to what they can bring over the coming season," Dees list manager Tim Lamb said.
The AFL completes its enquiry into the incident involving a physical altercation between Steven May and Jake Melksham and decides to take no further action beyond the Demons' club-imposed sanctions.
Melbourne suspended Steven May for one-match and ordered community service work for both May and Melksham.
"The AFL wishes to reinforce that no matter the situation or circumstances, violence is never the answer. As professional footballers, as people, we expect better," a statement from the AFL said.
Jake Melksham has required a second surgery on the infected hand he injured in his alcohol-fuelled restaurant fight with Melbourne teammate Steven May.
"He's got a pretty bad infection. He's had it washed out once under surgery and he had it again yesterday," Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said.
"He's had two doses of surgery, it's been washed out twice, the infection was pretty bad. It is a serious infection and one we need to get on top of."
The AFL's integrity department will conduct its own investigation into the Sunday night fight between Demons Steven May and Jake Melksham.
"No matter what the situation or circumstances, violence is never the answer. As professional footballers, as people, we expect better and while the club has taken the matter extremely seriously, the AFL is currently conducting its own investigation," a statement from the AFL said.
Jake Melksham is open to moving to a third AFL club despite being contracted to the Demons for 2022.
It is understood clubs are aware Melksham, who has played 12 games this season and is contracted at the Demons for 2022, would be open-minded about a switch after being squeezed out of Melbourne's first-choice forward line.
Jake Melksham suffers a setback in his recovery from a foot injury and is expected to be on the sidelines for another five to six weeks.
"He went and saw a surgeon last week who suggested he needed to stay in the moonboot for another couple of weeks," Melbourne’s elite performance manager David Misson said.
"He comes out of the boot early June and he'll need another month after that until he is back playing."
Jake Melksham signs a new three-year deal to remain at Mebourne until the end of 2022.
"This is my fourth year at the club now and I'm getting to that age bracket where I'm a little bit older, so for them to show that faith and give me another three-year extension is really exciting for both parties," Melksham said.
Settling into a role in the forward line at the back end of 2017 saw Jake Melksham produce the best football of his career, and he's hoping to replicate that consistency across a full year in 2018.
"I've played in all positions, mainly due to (not) finding one myself which I really did well in," Melksham said.
"But I think last year, in the back half of the year, when I played down forward, I found myself a spot that was right for me."
Jake Melksham has been fined $10,000 for misleading AFL investigators during an inquiry into activity on his betting account.
The League said the activity didn't relate to any bets placed on AFL matches, but came to its attention because it appeared the Melbourne midfielder had allowed his account to be used by a someone else.
"It is crucial for the integrity of the competition that participants in the AFL give honest evidence in the course of investigations under the AFL rules," AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon said in a statement.
"Jake has acknowledged his mistake in this case, is genuinely remorseful and will assist us to deliver this message in the future to players coming into the AFL competition."
Jake Melksham is set to play his first game in Melbourne colours on Saturday against the Western Bulldogs at Whitten Oval, ending a long wait to take his place in the team.
"He's dying to play footy again and wants to get back on the field with teammates and enjoy the game again," Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said.
"He's done an incredible amount of work over the last six months to get himself in this position and I know he's really excited about it."
Jake Melksham says the game means more to him now than it ever has after being forced to sit out last season as part of the fallout from Essendon's supplements scandal.
"I took a lot for granted when I was younger. When you're young, you're free and don't really give a stuff," Melksham said.
"Now I'm a little bit older, something I love has been taken away from me for a year.
"When I play that first home and away game for the club, that'll be a pretty special moment for me.
"It does mean more to me now. When something is taken away from you that you love, you don't realise how much you miss it until it's gone."
Essendon's worst fears have been realised with the Court of Arbitration for Sport finding 34 past and present players guilty of taking banned substance Thymosin Beta-4 and suspending them for the entire 2016 season.
Twelve players still on the Bombers' list and five now at other AFL clubs who took part in Essendon's 2012 supplements program have been hit with two-year bans beginning on March 31 last year.
However, most of the suspensions will come to an end on November 13 this year, taking into account provisional suspensions already served.
Bombers skipper Jobe Watson, vice-captain Dyson Heppell, reigning club champion Cale Hooker, Michael Hurley, Tom Bellchambers, Heath Hocking, Travis Colyer, Michael Hibberd, Ben Howlett, David Myers, Brent Stanton and Tayte Pears will all miss the Bombers' 2016 campaign.
The guilty decision impacts four other AFL clubs with former Essendon players on their lists, with Jake Carlisle (St Kilda), Stewart Crameri (Western Bulldogs), Jake Melksham (Melbourne), Angus Monfries and Patrick Ryder (Port Adelaide) to be sidelined for the season.
Former Essendon players Mark McVeigh and Brent Prismall are set to be suspended from their respective roles at Greater Western Sydney and the Western Bulldogs until November 13 as support staff are banned from any WADA-complaint sports under the sanctions.
McVeigh is an assistant coach at the Giants, while Prismall is a player wellbeing and welfare manager with the Bulldogs.
Essendon champion and former club coach James Hird slammed the guilty verdict and suspensions.
"I am shocked by this decision," Hird said in a statement.
"I firmly believe the players do not deserve this finding.
"They do not deserve to face a twelve-month suspension from the sport. This is a miscarriage of justice for 34 young men."
Jake Melksham says his friendship with Simon Goodwin was the decisive factor in his decision to seek a trade from Essendon to Melbourne.
"He gave me a ring and could see I wasn't enjoying my footy or reaching the potential that I had. I'd go around [to his place] for dinner often [and one day] he said 'come around, we'll have a chat'," Melksham said.
"He said, 'You need to ask yourself what you want to get out of your footy career? You need to find that passion and reignite yourself again'.
"He said 'I'm not going to pressure you into anything and it's not going to [change] our friendship if you do come [to Melbourne] or you don't. It'll still be the same – there will be no hard feelings, but I just want you to get the best out of yourself'.
"It got the ball rolling and I thought maybe a fresh start would be good for myself, so that's where it got started."
Melbourne sends pick No.25 to Essendon in exchange for Jake Melksham in the Demons' first deal of the NAB Trade Period.
"During this trade period we were looking for players who could come in and play straight away and Jake was identified as a potential player that fit into that category," Demons football manager Josh Mahony said.
"We identified a role for him, which is off half-back, which he played the last three or four games at Essendon.
"We think that Jake will add some competitiveness and run-and-carry to our defence.
"(We) backed his ability to add some consistency to his game, due to a change in environment and specific role."
Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro says Jake Melksham's request to be traded to Melbourne is due to the Demons offering the midfielder an extremely lucrative offer.
"I think his relationship with Simon Goodwin played a pretty big part in it. They got on exceptionally well, they're very close," Dodoro said.
"It definitely had nothing to do with the things going on at the club the last couple of years, he said that. He rang me last week and he was virtually in tears when he told me he was leaving.
"He was leaving basically because I think the offer was good, and he's a young man who's about to have a family and the offer was too good to refuse, plus his relationship with Simon was pretty strong. That's his call."
Jake Melksham informs Essendon of his wish to be traded from the club.
Essendon list and recruiting manager Adrian Dodoro said the club would seek adequate compensation in any trade deal.
"Jake is a talented young midfielder with more than a hundred games experience and we’re extremely disappointed in his decision to seek a trade," Dodoro said.
Out-of-contract Jake Melksham is weighing up his future at the Bombers after struggling to reach top form this year.
Melksham had been recently offered a new two-year deal by the Bombers through to the end of 2017, but is believed to be considering a fresh start elsewhere.
Jake Melksham says being dropped from the side to play against Collingwood on Anzac Day last year still hurts.
"I was thinking 'Of all the games, he's dropped me for this one'," Melksham says about Essendon coach James Hird's decision to omit him from the side.
"I was filthy. I was absolutely filthy. Even when I think back now I'm still filthy, and he always says it's the best thing that's happened to me, because I came back and that was a bit of a turning point.
"I had to stick to the plan. I was annoyed but I never showed that to anyone else or whinged or complained. I thought that I had to take it on the chin, don't bring anyone else into it, and they'll respect that more."
Jake Melksham says his confidence as a midfielder is growing after playing in every game since being dropped from the side in round five.
"I've been working really closely with Simon Goodwin and he's been backing me every week, giving me confidence, and making sure I believe in myself, and believe in what I can do and what I am capable of," Melksham said.
"You've just got to stick tight and eventually it will pay off, and the hard work's starting to come out in my game."
Essendon's Jake Melksham has been nominated for the NAB AFL Rising Star for his performance in a stirring win against St Kilda.
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Jake Melksham makes his AFL debut for Essendon at the MCG with 18 disposals (8 kicks and 10 handballs), a mark and 3 tackles in a 20-point win over Carlton.