Jesse Mellor’s road to an AFL list was no ordinary one.
Mellor slipped through the 2025 National Draft and, as a Next Generation Academy prospect, ultimately landed at Geelong as a Category B rookie.
Mellor, who has been lauded as a “Jake Stringer type talent”, performed when it mattered throughout 2025, putting his name on the map with a six goal trial game for Vic Country against the Young Guns, before averaging two goals per game throughout a productive U18s National Championships, and booting four snags in a final for the Falcons.
But, as he told media on Thursday, it was his experiences as a primary school teacher that shaped his draft year most.
“That was a huge part of my footy this year, being at St Patricks Primary School,” Mellor said.
“They were such a big help and so supportive. I’d have a fair few days off with footy, whether it was Thursday’s looking at vision or doing recovery [after the weekend]. They were so supportive with that.”
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 28: Jesse Mellor of Vic Country runs with the ball during the Victorian Diversity All-Stars U18 Boys match between Vic Country and Vic Metro at Warrawee Park on June 28, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
While his draft moment arrived later than expected it allowed for a special moment at his school’s assembly as he revealed to his students his opportunity to pursue his football dream full-time.
“They had their assembly at 2.30pm on the Friday,” Mellor said.
“I called the principal and said yes, it’s happened. He asked if I could come to the assembly and I said yes, so I went down and it was pretty funny.
“I put a jacket over my Cats gear, I went up and said that I have some bad news. I said I am not going to be at St Patrick’s anymore, but I am going to be at the Cats and I took my stuff off and put my Cats hat on.
“It was pretty special and the kids were pretty up and about, it was good to say farewell to them because they have been a huge part of the journey.”
While Mellor has it cut out for him to progress up Geelong’s ranks in the forward line to achieve an unlikely debut in 2026, his hard-nosed, tireless work ethic will make him a coach’s favourite.
“My ability one-on-one ahead of the ball and the ability to find shots on goal consistently helped me get here, but I want to build myself up to become an AFL player,” Mellor said.
“I’ve been loving training and I’ve got the belief in myself that I’m going to be able to get there. It’s up to me now.”