MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin provides an update on all 44 players in the lead-up to the 2018 season. Be sure to check back each day for much of January, as we present this year’s squad …

Lochie Filipovic (rookie)

An emerging ruckman, Lochie has been working really closely with the talls in our program. He’s spent plenty of time with our ruck coach, Greg Stafford and has been learning plenty from Max Gawn, who has played a key role with our young ruckmen. Entering his second AFL season, Lochie is one of four rookies on our list for 2018.

Bayley Fritsch

Bayley was our second selection in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft. He arrives from Casey, after kicking 42 goals and winning the Fothergill-Round Medal for the best young VFL player in 2017. Bayley has been a real standout in our training and is working hard inside our forward 50. He is working really well with our other forwards, and complementing them as well.

Sam Frost

Sam has had a really good five or six weeks in our pre-season program. Along with Oscar McDonald and Jake Lever, the three talls have been working really closely – and well together – on our defensive mechanisms and structures. The three of them have been looking really good as a unit and we’re excited to see what they can produce in 2018.

Jeff Garlett

Jeff returned to training in really good shape after a great off-season. Unfortunately, he hurt his rib in one of our sessions, but he has been able to do a lot of the conditioning work. We’re looking forward to another strong year from Jeff, after he kicked 42 goals – the fifth time he has booted 39 goals or more in a season.