JAKE Melksham will step out on to the MCG on Sunday, in what will be his first game of football in 315 days.

Melksham’s 2023 season came to a devastating end in August last year, rupturing his ACL on the cusp of an AFL final series.

The 32-year-old jumped into a rehab that is feared within sporting leagues across the world for its long and arduous schedule.

Returning from an ACL injury can often mean close to 12 months of various specialist appointments, a mountain of time in the gym and an added necessity of mental high-performance.  

As a senior Demon, not only was Melksham diligent with his rehab, but he also chose to use his time on the sidelines to help coach and assist in the forward line, both at training and on game day.

This hard work and determination have propelled him towards a return to footy, confirmed as a selection to face the Eagles on Sunday afternoon.

Simon Goodwin praised the dedication of Melksham on Thursday, telling media of the important role he plays within the Melbourne AFL program.

“He’s done incredibly well to get himself into this position at this time of year,” Goodwin said.

“That was always the plan, to have him available for AFL selection in the back half of the season and be in a position where he can help us push towards finals.

“I think we saw last year his ability to have impact not only on the scoreboard, but he's a leader of our footy club.

“Our forwards are a young group that need some leadership and he provides that in spades.

“He's a high-quality person, he understands the game incredibly well, and he's like a coach out on the field, so he can certainly improve our performance significantly in this back half of the season.”

Bailey Laurie, Christian Salem, Jake Bowey and Tom Fullarton all join Melksham as inclusions to the extended line-up of 26 players.

Of the 26 players named, 23 will be confirmed in the final side tomorrow at 5pm.

Harrison Petty will miss the Sunday game with GM AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson providing an update. 

“Harrison experienced some hamstring awareness at the end of last week’s game against Brisbane," Richardson said. 

“He wasn’t able to quite complete what we needed him to during our main training session today, so he will sit out of Sunday’s game.

“We’re hopeful Harrison will be available again in Round 18.”

Kynan Brown has been omitted from the line-up.  

INS – Melksham, Salem, Bowey, Laurie, Fullarton

OUTS – Petty (inj.), K.Brown (omitted)