MELBOURNE has secured midfielder/half-back Jake Melksham from Essendon in exchange for selection No.25 in the NAB AFL Draft.

General manager of football operations Josh Mahoney said Melksham, who played 114 matches for the Bombers from 2010-15, had been targeted to play a specific role at the club.

“During this trade period we were looking for players who could come in and play straight away and Jake was identified as a potential player that fit into that category,” he told melbournefc.com.au. 

“He has played more than 100 AFL games in six seasons at Essendon and was a top 10 draft pick.

“We identified a role for him, which is off half-back, which he played the last three or four games at Essendon. We think that Jake will add some competitiveness and run-and-carry to our defence.

“Both Simon Goodwin and Brendan McCartney have had a previous relationship with Jake and have backed his ability to add some consistency to his game, due to a change in environment and specific role.”

Melksham, who played for Calder Cannons in the under 18s, won the TAC Cup Medal for his best on ground performance (24 disposals and seven inside 50s) in his side’s victorious 2009 TAC Cup Grand Final against the Dandenong Stingrays.

He was then selected at No.10 in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft.

Melksham made his AFL debut against Carlton in round three, 2010, and was also a NAB AFL Rising Star nominee that year.

He played his 100^th AFL match against Collingwood in round four this year at the MCG and has averaged 19 matches per season.