MELBOURNE\u2019S Matt Jefferson is a fly-under-the-radar type of Demon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
A quiet character around the club, he\u2019s someone who puts in the hard work without much fuss. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Since arriving at the Dees in 2022, he\u2019s been slowly building year on year, with his reserved but determined routine now key to his development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve learned a lot, now I know what I need to do to be able to get the best out of myself, I feel like the first couple of years I struggled a bit with that,\u201d Jefferson said. \u00a0
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\u201cEvery day I come in and know the level of training, gym, vision, recovery I need. \u00a0
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\u201cWith this type of routine and focus, I know that if I don\u2019t get selected [for AFL] that I\u2019m prepared to play that standard no matter what, because of the work I\u2019ve put in during the week.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jefferson played back-to-back seasons in the VFL after first arriving at the club, kicking a total of 51 goals across 37 games. \u00a0
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He was named Best VFL Player in 2024 and earned himself an AFL debut in Round 1 of 2025.\u00a0
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\u201cIt was pretty cool to have my debut in Round 1 and get that AFL experience,\u201d Jefferson said. \u00a0
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\u201cI felt like I was ready for the step up, ready for that challenge having played some good VFL footy in 2024.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think overall, it was a good year because I learned a lot.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n I have more of an understanding of the level of fitness you need and how quick you need to be, not just your physical speed, but also the speed at which you make decisions because everything is so much faster.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
After debuting in Round 1, he was omitted on three separate occasions throughout the year, playing the majority of his footy in the VFL.\u00a0 \u00a0
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This week-to-week pressure was something Jefferson was forced to get comfortable with in the last 12 months.\u00a0
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\u201cIt can be challenging when you\u2019re in and out of the team, because you feel like you\u2019re playing really good VFL footy but then you get to AFL and you\u2019re not playing as well as you\u2019d hoped,\u201d Jefferson said. \u00a0
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\u201cBut I think knowing that I\u2019ve put in the work during the week, that really helped me last year when I went back to the VFL. \u00a0
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\u201cI didn\u2019t drop my head, I tried to see each VFL game I played as an opportunity to not only get back into the team but improve my game.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
From week-to-week pressure to in-game pressure, forwards are met with plenty of match moments that call upon their ability to stay focused. \u00a0
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Jefferson admitted that this type of focus during games was another challenge that he faced.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first got here, that\u2019s something that I really struggled with, being able to stay focused in games,\u201d Jefferson said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a forward, you do have games where the ball just doesn’t go near you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n It’s about dealing with that and being able to stay focused, even if you don\u2019t touch the ball in the first quarter, you need to stay in the game.\n <\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI have become a lot better at that. In my first or second year, if I was playing and I hadn\u2019t had a good first half, my second half would be just as bad. \u00a0
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\u201cNow I feel like I can pull myself out of that mindset.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a Melbourne forward, Jefferson is part of a reasonably young playing group that is hoping to impress in 2026 under a fresh coaching mix.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In addition to the appointment of new senior coach Steven King, the Dees also added Matthew Scarlett, AFL great and 284-gamer for Geelong, to the coaching cohort. \u00a0
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Scarlett joined the Dees as a development coach specialising in talls, which has meant working closely with Jefferson this pre-season. \u00a0
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\u201cHe has a bit of an aura about him, he\u2019s an AFL great,\u201d Jefferson said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n He’s been really good for us, he really knows what he’s talking about and adding the perspective of the key defenders\u2026 it helps us as forwards to know what makes defenders uncomfortable.\n <\/p>\n
\u201c[Brody Mihocek] coming in has also been really good for us young forwards, I think he\u2019s similar to me in that he\u2019s not necessarily the biggest key forward but he\u2019s just really smart so he\u2019s been able to help me and the other forwards make sure we play to our strengths.\u00a0
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\u201c[Jacob van Rooyen] has also been really helpful, I know he\u2019s a similar age to me but he\u2019s built up his leadership over the last few years and has been really good at helping me bring my focus back in games.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Jefferson finished 2025 with seven senior games under his belt and if this pre-season is any preview of 2026, he\u2019s looking to come back with a bang this season. \u00a0
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\u201cIn my off-season, I really wanted to focus on my quality of training,\u201d Jefferson said. \u00a0
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\u201cI got injured at the end of the season which meant I didn\u2019t really stop training [because of rehab], so my mindset changed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked at the off-season as an opportunity to build my fitness. I wanted to come back for pre-season and be fit that day, I didn\u2019t want to chase that fitness.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n This type of mentality was easy for me when we had a good group of boys coming in during the off-season and we were all training at the same level.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you’ve got a good group of young players, you\u2019re all learning together, you\u2019re all on a similar path, building to where you need to be and we\u2019re all building towards the same goal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n