MELBOURNE has taken advantage of a four-day pre-season break to venture north to Australia’s Red Centre and engage with the locals in the Demons’ home away from home.
Jack Viney, Jake Lever, Ricky Mentha Jnr and Kate Hore are along for the trip, as the club supports the Jim Stynes Foundation and its focus on sporting opportunities and positive health outcomes for young Aboriginal and Torres Islander people.
First-year Demon Mentha Jnr is an Alice Springs local – the first Demon Next Generation Academy product to be signed from the region and the first from the area signed to an AFL list in over a decade.
The Viney and Lever families have joined the travelling band, which will spend four days in the Territory before training recommences on Wednesday, February 5 back in Melbourne.
You can stay up to date with the club’s travels below.
Day One | Alice Springs
The travelling group touched down in Alice Springs just after midday and were welcomed by a scorching 40-degree Territory greeting.
The players braved the conditions to put on a clinic at the Traeger Park Indoor Basketball courts.
Mentha Jnr received a hero’s welcome as returned to his home turf, immediately wrapped up by an emotional Nanna upon arrival at the stadium, while a multitude of cousins, nieces, nephews and other relations gathered.
Nothing quite like a hug from Nanna 🥰
— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) February 2, 2025
The hometown kid Ricky Mentha is back in Alice Springs.
Demons head north 📝 | https://t.co/HCa6pODLJ0 pic.twitter.com/ZRMjRwoCy8
Viney, Hore and Lever happily took a backseat to the hometown Mentha’s stardom, doing their part to entertain the locals with a series of footy drills and games.
The group then travelled to the Gap Road Youth Centre to hang out with some young Territorians, with Mentha telling the team he often frequented the centre to take advantage of the computers and access to Fortnite.
You can follow along with the day’s action via the gallery below.
Day Two | Nyirripi
Nyirripi - Demon country.
The Melbourne travelling group made the hour-long light plane journey to the footy-mad community of Nyirripi on day two.
The remote Territory desert town is home to approximately 300 locals, who worship the local Nyirripi Demons and their big city cousins in Melbourne.
Seven hours drive west of Alice Springs you'll find the name of the town marked with a Hollywood-style sign at the community's main entry point, with the letters painted red and blue in true Nyirripi fashion.
Houses are adorned with Demons logos past and present, flags hang from buildings while the light poles that circle the red dirt oval are also decked out in red and blue.
Despite some engine troubles and a quick re-routing, the Demons touched down on the one-runway airstrip just after midday.
Players were swarmed as they arrived at the local school, with the locals young and old alike proudly sporting facepaint and Demons merchandise.
Ricky Mentha Jnr is a household name, having spent time living in Nyirripi himself for short stints in his youth.
The Demons are here to help spread the clean faces, strong eyes message with the University of Melbourne's Indigenous Eye Health Unit to help the battle against trachoma.
The club is also meeting former Giant, Swan and Bomber Shaun Edwards, with a collaboration with Edwards' House of Darwin business taking shape behind the scenes.
It's an incredible opportunity for the players to deliver on the Jim Stynes Foundation's goal to create sporting opportunities for Indigenous Australians.
Despite the sweltering heat baking the red dirt streets and local oval as the mercury reached 42 degrees, the locals were not deterred from showing off their pride and joy.
A quick walk to the home ground of the Nyrippi Demons kick starts games of kick to kick, before the club hands out Demons merchandise to the thrilled community.
Take a look at the daily gallery below.
Day Three | Alice Springs & Uluru
The hard yards don’t stop on a four-day break.
Jack Viney, Kate Hore and Ricky Mentha Jnr kicked off Day Three with a running block on Alice Springs’ Albrecht Oval.
The picturesque local oval provided a stunning backdrop as the players cut laps before completing a number of 100 metre sprints to finish off the session.
Despite rising early to escape the heat, the temperature was pushing well into the 30s at 8am and Hore, Mentha and Viney quickly worked up a sweat.
The group returned back to the hotel and quickly cooled off in the pool before getting set to make the seven-hour bus journey south-west to Uluru.
Stopping off at the Erldunda Roadhouse, the geographical centre of Australia, the players and their families had the opportunity to feed emus before getting back on the road.
After arriving in Yulara and Uluru, the travellers headed to the Outback Diner for dinner.
Cooking their own dinner on the Diner’s barbeques, the group could select from options such as camel, kangaroo and emu.
The night’s activities included a sunset viewing of the magnificent Uluru, before strolling through a fantasy garden of 50,000 spindles of light known as the Field of Light, created by celebrated artist Bruce Monroe.
Photos from Uluru are currently with Parks Australia for approval and will be uploaded once received.
Day Four | Yulara & Mutitjulu
The final day of Melbourne’s territory adventure was kick-started by a sunrise viewing of Uluru.
Three of the four Demons players on the trip made it to the lookout, with Ricky Mentha Jnr falling asleep again after his 5 AM alarm wake-up.
The incredible panoramic views over the natural wonder as the soft morning light hit the rock were a sight to behold for all in attendance.
Mentha Jnr and the other sleepy staff rejoined the group for 9 AM guided walk around the base of Uluru.
Lead by an Anangu man, the travel party learned about the significance of the site in Indigenous culture.
There was one last stop on the itinerary was Mutitjulu, the Aboriginal Community located at the base of Uluru.
The community of over 300 people is closed to public access and visits are allowed by permit or permission only.
Warm welcomes from the locals put the cherry on the top of an incredible four days in Australia’s beating heart.