MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin has vowed to leave no stone unturned in the club’s search to complement the Demons’ current forward mix as the off-season draws closer.

Goodwin says list management staff are buoyant on the Demon’s developing key forward prospects and will assess the draft and trade periods for options that would add to those current playing stocks.

Matthew Jefferson is nearing an AFL debut, while van Rooyen and Turner have impressed club staff with their performances in recent weeks.

Goodwin also addressed clearance struggles, Steven May’s injury and hopes for the run home in this morning’s media conference.

This week’s media conference focuses are brought to you by Fujfilm.

Forward Line Future

“It's certainly an area of the ground we're continuing to look at,” Goodwin said.

“We have for a number of years tried to get the personnel that we need, whether that be through the draft or through trade, through free agency. 

“We'll leave no stone unturned again in looking at how we get our list better.”

The Current Forward Brigade

“We think Jacob van Rooyen is coming along really fast now. He's heading towards 50 games,” Goodwin said.

“We've got Matt Jefferson – he’s developing really strongly at VFL level.

“We've got Dan Turner, who's come in this year and starting to have an impact for us, and we'll look at all avenues on how we can continue to get better in that space.”

Matt Jefferson Debut Watch

“He's getting closer and closer all the time. We're rapt with Jeffo,” Goodwin said

“It's a really tough time as a developing key forward when you get drafted and how long it can take. And his last eight to 10 weeks has been fantastic in the ways developed his game.

“Whether that's a game this week or in the coming weeks, we'll wait and see.”

Contested Ball Struggles

“Any team that loses Christian Petracca and Angus Brayshaw within a season is going to struggle in terms of their ability to win the ball more often than not around the contest areas,” Goodwin said.

“It's an area of the ground that we've added people to, whether that be Trent Rivers, Koltyn Tholstrup has come through there.

“There's a bit of personnel where we're developing in that area, but there's also some method to it (in how we can improve).”

The Re-Signing Run

“Brilliant news. Ed's just such an important player to us,” Goodwin said.

“You're seeing with a lot of our younger players signing on and now Ed signing on, it's a great recognition to the environment that they have and how much they love being a part of our footy club.

“Any time you can sign a player for the length of time that we have with Ed it's a great sign of the environment that we've created.

“He’s a really important signing for us. He gives our group so much, not only on the field, but off the field.”

Steven May Update

“He's home obviously with the fractured ribs, which is really unfortunate for Steven,” Goodwin said.

“It's really unlucky 15 weeks apart from his last broken ribs to have the same ribs broken again.

“It's very uncommon in terms of the time difference that it's taken. But he's recovering well.

“He'll be back in and around the club. We're hoping he only misses a couple of weeks and we'll continue to assess him and see how he's tracking.”

The Selection Table

“We think we've got some experienced defenders to come in,” Goodwin said.

“Adam Tomlinson's been in great form in the VFL for a number of weeks and certainly has been vying for his spot in the last couple of weeks.”

The Run Home

“We want to be playing finals footy and right now we're still a chance,” Goodwin said.

“There's been challenges for every team so I don't want to give excuses. We haven't performed to the level that we think we're capable of yet.

“We've certainly had some challenges and we’ve transitioned a lot of younger players, but that's not an excuse.

“When you put the Melbourne jumper on, you play a certain way.

“That's what drives winning habits and that's what ultimately leads to success and that's what we'll continue to drive here.”