MELBOURNE has delisted young forward Dion Johnstone, bringing the total number of list changes to eight since the end of the 2018 season.

Johnstone, who was selected at No.64 in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft, was a regular contributor to the club’s VFL side, gaining confidence with the Casey Demons.

But the 20-year-old was unable to break into the AFL team during his two seasons at the club.

General Manager of football operations Josh Mahoney thanked players for their service to the red and blue.

“These decisions are obviously difficult, given the competition for spots on our list,” he told Melbourne Media.

“On behalf of everyone at the club, we would like to all players for their hard-work and commitment during their time with us.”

Johnstone’s departure comes after the Demons also parted ways with Cameron Pedersen, Tomas Bugg, Pat McKenna, and ruck duo Mitch King and Lochie Filipovic.

Having retired, 2015 best and fairest winner in Bernie Vince and first-year Demon Harley Balic round out Melbourne’s list changes to date.

2018 List Changes

DEPARTURES

Retired: Harley Balic, Bernie Vince
Delisted: Tomas Bugg, Lochie Filopovic (rookie), Dion Johnstone, Mitch King, Pat McKenna, Cam Pedersen