AMONG a promising West Australian state squad this year is National Academy member Heath Mellody, a Colts premiership player out of Claremont. The 184cm midfielder/defender is renowned for his foot skills and decision making, which helped him establish a place in WA’s state side as a bottom-ager.

We sat down for an interview with Mellody at the recent Western Australia preseason testing combine in Perth.

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PRESEASON Q&A

Q: Heath, can you give us a rundown of your footballing journey?

HM: I grew up around the Melville area and then moved up into Wembley Downs when I was about five or so. I played at Wembley Downs until last year, grew up playing there and moved into school footy. Then a bit of Claremont as well throughout the Under 14s, and then obviously last year at Colts. I moved through that and into the state program last year, and here I am now.

Q: Did you play many other sports growing up?

HM: I played a bit of basketball when I was younger and gave that up around Year 8. Then I played cricket since Year 7 and still do now, so I’m pretty keen on my cricket.

Q: What position are you hoping to play this year?

HM: Hopefully a bit of midfield and half-back, both of those positions [interchanging]. I played quite a bit of half-back last year and really enjoyed it, then had a few spurts in the guts which was really cool, so hopefully those two positions.

Q: Can you describe some of the strengths in your game?

HM: I’d probably just say my footy smarts and skills. I pride myself on my fundamentals, like kicking and handballing. I trust myself to pull off a kick or hit a target that not many other people tend to go for, so I’d definitely say kicking is a strength.

Q: On the flip side, what kind of improvements are you looking to make?

HM: Definitely contest work. Growing up being a little bit smaller than a lot of other kids I avoided it a little bit, but now I’ve taken it upon myself to improve in that area. That’s been my main focus this preseason, hammering down with body work and that sort of thing. If I want to get to another level I’ll definitely need to improve on that.

Q: Which person has had the most impact on your career?

HM: Definitely my dad. He played quite a bit of footy around Australia – WAFL, VFL, SANFL – that sort of thing. If I’m ever struggling or going well, he’ll always be there when I need him. He definitely got me into footy and he’s the reason why I love it so much.

Q: What goals have you set for yourself in 2026?

HM: Individually, I’m just trying to make the teams like Claremont and State. I’ll have a few [AFL] Academy games later on. And I just want to play to the best of my ability and not leave any stone unturned really. The end goal obviously is just to get drafted.

Q: Is there a teammate you’re expecting to have a big year?

HM: Hopefully Benji van Rooyen. I’m very close with him and we played a lot of footy together growing up, we went to primary school together. It’d be really cool if he does go really well, he has been training well and doing all the little extra things.

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