The halfway point of the season has arrived, and as we step into our mid-season bye, these are the standout stats that have defined our 2025 journey so far.

Gawn doing Gawn things

It’s been a commanding season from our skipper Max Gawn, who continues to set the standard around the contest. The 33-year-old sits second in the AFL for hit outs with 521, trailing only Adelaide’s Reilly O’Brien - but it’s his contested work that’s been next level.

Gawn leads the entire competition for contested possessions with 206, well clear of the next best, Tom Green and Caleb Serong (189). His dominance inside has created a launchpad for Melbourne’s midfield brigade to get to work.

Kozzy’s career-best form

Fresh off signing a new contract that ties him to the club until 2034, Kysaiah Pickett is delivering career-best numbers up forward. Leading Melbourne’s goalkicking with 24 majors, Pickett is averaging 2.18 goals per game - the highest of his career and well above his 2022 average of 1.78.

He’s produced standout performances with five-goal hauls against Sydney and Fremantle, three against Port Adelaide and Collingwood, and two against Essendon, Hawthorn and Brisbane. With nine home-and-away games to go, he’s on pace to break his personal-best season tally of 41 goals from 2022.

Ed’s on his bike

Round 1 saw Ed Langdon highlight his trademark running game in a big way. The wingman covered 17.7km in the Dees’ clash with GWS - the highest distance recorded in any AFL match so far this season. He leads the likes of Finn Maginness (17.4km vs Melbourne, Round 9) and Jeremy Sharp (17.3km vs Western Bulldogs, Round 4) in this year’s tally.

It wasn’t just a 2025 record-breaker either. Langdon’s effort now ranks fifth on the Telstra Tracker’s all-time leaderboard since its inception in 2017.

Trac’s Back And Firing

After an interrupted 2024 campaign, Christian Petracca has hit his stride in 2025. The star midfielder sits third in the league for centre clearances with 39, behind only Tom Liberatore (41) and Caleb Serong (49).

Petracca’s seven centre clearances against Brisbane in Round 10 were a standout, helping steer Melbourne to a memorable 11-point win at the Gabba - a performance that underlined his return to peak form.

Salem the marking magnet

Christian Salem has been one of Melbourne’s most consistent performers in 2025, currently sitting third in the AFL for total marks with 108 - behind Carlton’s Nick Haynes (115) and St Kilda’s Callum Wilkie (117).

Having previously recorded a personal-best 145 marks in 2021, Salem is well on track to eclipse that number this season. Coach Simon Goodwin praised the defender’s resurgence earlier in the year:

“This is the best footy he’s played in the last three years, he’s worked hard to get his body right and has added real value both in defence and through the midfield. "

- Simon Goodwin

Five-star debutants

The Round One clash against GWS marked the AFL debut of five fresh Demons. Harvey Langford, Aidan Johnson, Xavier Lindsay, Matthew Jefferson, and Jack Henderson all pulled on the red and blue for the first time. Thrown into the deep end at the MCG, the new Dees showed promising glimpses of what’s to come.

Harvey Langford received the AFL Rising Star nomination in just his second AFL game and first full game, recording 26 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 10 score involvements, six clearances, and a goal. Langford is also on track to become just the eighth player to finish inside the Top 100 AFL Players after their first season (since first recorded by Champion Data).

Xavier Lindsay was also recognised for his Round 7 performance against Richmond, where he collected 21 disposals, 15 kicks and 11 marks - earning his own AFL Rising Star nomination.

Each debutant has now banked valuable experience across the first half of the season, as confidence grows that they are laying the foundation for the club’s next generation.