2025 will see the Dees reach their 10th season of AFLW, an exciting opportunity to look at how far the club has come within the women’s game.
It will also be the 10th season that Mick Stinear has been senior coach of the Melbourne team, having led the way since the inaugural season in 2017.
Stinear, who joined the Demon faithful at the club’s annual general meeting in December, spoke to the expansion of the competition since that opening season and the club’s focus in positioning itself for long-term success.
“We did really well under Daisy Pearce's leadership, and in an era of expansion clubs,” Stinear said.
“Now, in these last two drafts, it’s been really important for us to get access to the best young talent.
“Teams like Port Adelaide and Hawthorn have come through off the back of those young players that have grown up with the ball in the hand since they were five.
“So, we've moved on some experienced players, but we've brought in some really strong young talent and now we'll enter into a phase of retention, trying to keep that group together.
“We're really content with our group...we've got 19 players out of 30 that are 25 or under, so we feel like we're going to be able to contend for a long period of time.”
Prior to the annual general meeting, Melbourne had signed three players via the 2024 AFLW draft, adding further young talent to its list.
Stinear said he was excited by the trio of new Demons in Molly O’Hehir, Maggie Mahony and Amelia Dethridge and felt they would help the club maintain its competitive edge within the league.
“Last year, we brought in nine players [via trade and draft], this year, we brought in three,” Stinear said.
“Our core group will be complemented by [Molly, Maggie and Amelia], it feels like a really good fit.
“Molly is a fantastic athlete, she's a ruthless competitor and can open up a pack with her run and carry. She’s also a high quality character with a great family.
“Maggie is a strong, powerful inside mid, probably the best ground level player in the draft crop and again, is a ruthless competitor.
“Then Amelia, she was probably similar to a rookie pick, a really strong hockey background, National and state level hockey player, and one of the best athletes coming into the program.
“Her footy skills will need a bit of development over the first year or two, but she played junior level at Brighton and played for Lauriston in recent years.”
Reflecting on his time at the Dees as he enters into his 10th season, Stinear said he was honoured to have been a part of it for so long and was ready to take on more challenges in 2025.
“It's been a real privilege to be able to be here from the start,” Stinear said.
“We're starting to generate a little bit of history in our women's program, and I absolutely love it.
"I think the way the team responded in adversity this year, gave me a lot of energy and excitement to go again and next season get back to where we want to be contending.
“As pioneers in the women's game, we want to be leading the way.”
