GEELONG Next Generation Academy (NGA) candidate Jesse Mellor returned to the VFL in Round 20, building on his debut performance with two goals. The Falcons vice-captain played up forward and spent time on the wing, holding his own against AFL-listed opposition in a 14-point win over Essendon.

Mellor is among the 64 players to have earned an invitation to the National Draft Combine. It came on the back of an All-Australian campaign with Vic Country, where he stamped himself as a consistent goalkicking and marking threat. We put his latest performance under the Player Focus microscope.

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Geelong Falcons, Vic CountryForward-Midfielder

Jesse Mellor

Height: 185cm

Weight: -

DOB: 04-01-2007

STRENGTHS:
+ Clean hands
+ Overhead marking
+ Power
+ Scoreboard impact
+ Strength

SEASON AVERAGES:

2025 AFL U18 National Championships (4 games)
11.0 disposals, 4.5 marks, 2.5 tackles, 3.0 inside 50s, 2.0 goals

2025 Coates Talent League (9 games)
17.6 disposals, 4.8 marks, 3.8 tackles, 3.6 inside 50s, 1.7 goals

Jesse Mellor, that is an incredible goal on debut! ? #WeAreGeelong pic.twitter.com/2ScIwg8V0j

— Geelong VFL (@GeelongVFL) July 27, 2025

PLAYER FOCUS

2025 VFL Round 20
Geelong 10.13 (73) def. Essendon 9.5 (59)

#49 Jesse Mellor (Geelong)
Stats: 17 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles, 2 goals, 1 behind
58.8% disposal efficiency, 8 contested possessions, 2 inside 50s

FIRST QUARTER:

Mellor immediately found it easier to get his hands on the ball in his second VFL outing, booting a goal within the opening 15 minutes. He snuck free inside 50 for an uncontested mark before slotting the set shot just inside the left-hand goal post, providing a good boost in confidence.

It was his first clean look at possession having ventured up the field from his half-forward post. Touted as an inside midfielder coming into the year, Mellor joined in as an extra at stoppages. He was sometimes sucked into the contest but tracked the play and applied pressure to Essendon’s exits.

SECOND QUARTER:

Essendon lifted its intensity in the second quarter to shrink a 40-7 deficit to 10 points at the main break. It showed in some of Mellor’s disposals, as he tended to fire off handballs quicker under the added pressure. Still, he got into good spots to support teammates as a link in the chain.

Inevitably, there were times where Mellor matched up on AFL-listed opposition. He dealt with Alwyn Davey Jr in a one-on-one on the wing, hunting him down to apply a heavy tackle and force the stoppage. Mellor also lined up against Kyle Langford having spent time up on the wing.

THIRD QUARTER:

Perhaps a sign of his growing confidence, Mellor continued to be drawn to the ball as he joined in at stoppages up the ground. It sometimes meant he would lose track of opponents when he didn’t swivel his head, which made it more difficult to defend on the spread.

He applied some strong, physical efforts at the coalface, making repeat efforts to force stoppages or spills. Mellor also sharked a couple of balls of the rucks’ hands, including one where he got loose of a Zak Johnson tackle to keep his arms free and handball to a teammate.

Much of the youngster’s impact came in the second half of the quarter, and he was much more assured by hand. He steadied nicely when looking to go by foot on a couple of occasions, but couldn’t quite find the target heading inside 50 on the move.

FOURTH QUARTER:

Arguably Mellor’s highlight of the day came in term four, as he popped up to snare his second goal. He ran forward hard as Geelong forced a turnover on defensive wing, finding the space to take a gutsy overhead mark while tracking back with the flight. His hands were typically safe overhead and his leap was strong.

Other than that moment, Mellor’s best contributions continued to be feeding handballs, like his one which allowed Patrick Retschko to shoot on goal. His frequent pressure acts continued, tackling hard to dispossess opponents.

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

Mellor build nicely upon his VFL debut with a largely positive second outing. The Cats NGA prospect got to showcase a few different elements to his game, proving clean in the contest and capable of winning his own ball, while also hitting the scoreboard and leaping for one of his patented overhead marks.

More exposure to the level will only help refine Mellor’s decision making and ball use. He gets into dangerous spots to launch the ball inside 50, so sharpening up that final kick will only make him all the more damaging. Providing added power and strength at stoppages is another handy string to his bow.

Having earned All-Australian honours at the National Championships and nabbed a draft combine invite, there is naturally plenty of interest in Mellor. The Cats will hope he slips to a manageable range, although his skillset as quite a natural forward who can pinch-hit in midfield may have him poised in the 25-40 range.