NEW recruit Zane Duursma isn’t the first of his family to play at the Dees.
Zane made the move to Melbourne last month via the 2026 AFL Trade Period, following in the footsteps of his uncle Jamie, who pulled on the red and blue almost 40 years ago.
Jamie played 33 games for the Dees across 1988 and 1989, including Melbourne’s 1988 grand final against Hawthorn.
“I look back on it now and it’s a bit of déjà vu for the family that another Duursma has landed in Demon colours,” Zane said.
“Jamie loves to pump it up that it was all him that got me here. He’s quite happy with how it’s gone.”
Speaking on the Andy and Gazey show earlier this week, Zane shed some more light on his move to the Dees and what led to the trade with North Melbourne.
“I feel like I was a bit here and there throughout the three years I was at North Melbourne. Just finding my way was challenging,” Zane said.
“[The decision] came back to the meeting I had with the Dees, they were just so honest and open and had a really inviting aura around what they were offering. That’s sort of what won me over.”
Zane, who was North Melbourne’s former No.4 draft selection, has faced his fair share of scrutiny over the past three seasons, something he admitted he’d struggled with.
“I definitely know it did (impact me). I know in my second and third year, it definitely got to me. Scrolling on Instagram, you see it. I myself would sometimes click on the old comment section and have a quick read," Zane said.
“It’s something you’re sort of drawn to as a younger guy and you want to see that stuff and see what people are saying.
“(North Melbourne head of player wellbeing and development) Corey Maynard calls it rat poison. So, I’m doing my best now to not associate myself with that stuff and it’s been going a bit better.
“It’s mentally taxing. We have fantastic psychologists that we see and I can’t speak any higher of the AFLPA for helping me out in that regard. In all honesty, it is hard to manage but we have the right people and resources to manage it.”
