MELBOURNE star Clayton Oliver has regained his game-breaking burst, showing the benefits of a full pre-season in a standout showing against North Melbourne on Saturday, but the Demons are sweating on scan results after Andy Moniz-Wakefield suffered a suspected serious knee injury late at Arden St.

Oliver dominated headlines for the wrong reasons across the summer of 2024, but after banking a comprehensive pre-season, the four-time All-Australian looks poised to return to the elite bracket of midfielders in 2025.

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The 27-year-old still featured in 21 games last year but played catch-up after missing a chunk of the pre-season, before playing with a range of injuries including a broken hand, plus knee and rib issues late in the season. 

Simon Goodwin opted to hold Max Gawn, Bayley Fritsch, Christian Salem, Ed Langdon – and possibly Christian Petracca – for the AAMI Community Series game against Fremantle next Sunday, while Steven May was rested after playing for the Indigenous All Stars in Perth last Saturday. 

It left Oliver to get to work in the middle alongside last year's pick No.6 Harvey Langford and Kysaiah Pickett, who played higher up the ground and made a significant impact on transition, backing up after playing for the Indigenous All Stars last Saturday ahead of his three-game suspension to start the 2025 season. 

"Obviously last year he was dealing with a fair bit away from the game. We didn't get him until probably this time last year. To have a whole summer working closely with his teammates, staff, we've put our arms around him and tried to get the best version of Clayton Oliver. We started to see that today," Melbourne assistant Troy Chaplin said after the game.

"His training has been outstanding. He works really hard on his game, he is in the gym all the time, he is doing extra touch, you can never question him in that regard. He has had to deal with some off-field stuff and he has that stuff in order and really reconnected back with the playing group. 

"That's what we love about it. We don't just love 'Clarry' the footballer, we love 'Clarry' the person and want to see the best version of him. We are starting to see that now, which is fantastic. When you get them both together, you get that kind of performance today."

After breaking in for a debut in round 16 and playing six straight games, Moniz-Wakefield was impressive at Arden St before a worrying incident late in the game. 

The 21-year-old will undergo scans over the next 24 hours with the club fearing a serious knee injury after the game. 

Jacob van Rooyen produced a commanding performance in attack, finishing with four goals in tricky conditions to lead Melbourne to an 18.9 (117) to 10.11 (71) win in front of a few thousand diehard supporters braving the February heat.

With the captain looking on, new back-up ruckman Tom Campbell showed he will be ready to step in for the seven-time All-Australian whenever he is required this year, after landing at a fourth club last October. The journeyman split the points with Tristan Xerri and will help manage the skipper's load in his 16th season in the AFL. 

New wingman Harry Sharp also hit the scoreboard with four goals, months after requesting a trade away from Brisbane during the Trade Period, putting his hand up for a spot against Greater Western Sydney in round one. 

North Melbourne picked almost a full-strength side and made a positive start in tricky conditions, but faded after half-time in the stifling heat at the Kangaroos' training base. 

Veteran spearhead Jack Darling combined well with Nick Larkey in attack, providing a second target for the Kangaroos forward of centre. Larkey finished with three goals, benefiting from another tall option, while Paul Curtis finished with a couple. 

"His (Darling's) summer has been great," North Melbourne assistant coach Leigh Adams said after the game.

"We obviously know the player he has been over his career. He will probably get judged a fair bit on the outside by the amount of goals he kicks – and I'm sure he will have games where he does kick goals – but what he is able to do from a leadership point of view and particularly what he can do in taking pressure off 'Larks' (is important). 

"His ability to get the ball to ground, he just never gets out-marked, he will get it to ground no matter what. Inside the club we value him greatly for what he does for stuff that doesn't get seen as much on the highlights tapes. We feel like he has had a great impact on our footy club so far."

Caleb Daniel moved 6km down the road from the Whitten Oval to Arden St in the closing minutes of last year's Trade Period and appears to have a new lease on life, thriving in his natural habitat across half-back in his first appearance for North Melbourne, finding a stack of the ball in a polished display.

Alastair Clarkson only had access to Griffin Logue twice last year, but after a decent summer, North Melbourne's backline looks sturdier with the West Australian slotting in alongside Aidan Corr and Charlie Comben on Saturday, with all three playing together for the first time this pre-season.

Match committee inside North ahead of the round one clash against the Western Bulldogs should be full of debate when it comes to the midfield. Luke Parker has added to that mix, playing alongside Luke Davies-Uniacke – who starred on Saturday – Harry Sheezel, Tom Powell and Will Phillips, while Colby McKercher and Finn O'Sullivan were both mainly used on the outside. 

North skipper Jy Simpkin was a late out after deciding on Saturday morning that he hadn't quite recovered fully from last weekend's Indigenous All Stars match against Fremantle, when he won the Polly Farmer Medal for best afield.

Young guns

North Melbourne's prized pick Finn O'Sullivan didn't take long to show his quality on a wing, with the pick No.2 from last November finding plenty of the ball on the outside. Melbourne's two fresh first-round picks – Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay – are both in the hunt for a round one debut after eye-catching displays on Saturday. Matt Jefferson – another former first-round pick – also showed he is getting closer to a debut, hitting the scoreboard and presenting after a gradual build at Casey across his first two years at the Demons.

Switching positions

Harry Petty has returned to defence this pre-season after spending 2024 at the other end of the ground. The South Australian played alongside Jake Lever, Jed Adams and Marty Hore. Colby McKercher was used predominantly across half-back in his debut season, but spent more time on a wing and at half-forward on Saturday with some midfield bursts.

Injury watch

Andy Moniz-Wakefield was helped off the ground by trainers in the dying minutes after injuring his lower leg in a marking contest and is off for scans. North Melbourne star Nick Larkey copped a corkie in the fourth quarter. The Kangaroos have a limited injury list on the eve of the season, headlined by young gun George Wardlaw (hamstring), who will miss at least the first month of the season. Zac Fisher missed the game due to a minor hamstring strain, while youngsters Josh Goater (hamstring) and Brayden George (knee) are still at least six weeks away from being available. Jack Viney, Caleb Windsor, Christian Petracca, Max Gawn and Ed Langdon all didn't feature but should face Fremantle next Sunday.

Fantasy tempter

Once he got going, Caleb Daniel (MID/FWD, $514,000) showed just why he is a popular pick in Fantasy Classic this year. After a quiet first half, Daniel was busy as the Roos looked for him to set up play from defence. The Dees' No.6 draft pick Harvey Langford (MID, $325,000) also caught the eye, while popular selection Clayton Oliver (MID, $797,000) was busy in his three quarters. – Dejan Kalinic

NORTH MELBOURNE          2.3     6.3      9.8      10.11 (71)
MELBOURNE                        4.3     6.5     12.7      18.9 (117)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Larkey 3, Curtis 2, Phillips, Daniel, Darling, Sheezel, Powell
Melbourne: van Rooyen 4, Sharp 4, Pickett 2, Sparrow 2, Billings, Jefferson, Woewodin, Campbell, Turner, Brown

NORTH MELBOURNE

2. Finn O'Sullivan, 3. Harry Sheezel, 4. Aidan Corr, 5. Caleb Daniel, 8. Bailey Scott, 9. Luke Davies-Uniacke, 10. Colby McKercher, 11. Luke McDonald, 12. Jy Simpkin, 13. Darcy Tucker, 15. Dylan Stephens, 19. Griffin Logue, 20. Nick Larkey, 22. Taylor Goad, 24. Tom Powell, 25. Paul Curtis, 26. Luke Parker, 28. Jack Darling, 29. Will Phillips, 30. Charlie Comben, 32. Toby Pink, 34. Jackson Archer, 38. Tristan Xerri, 39. Finnbar Maley, 41. Jacob Konstanty, 44. Cam Zurhaar, 46. Robbie Hansen jnr

Notable absentees: Zac Fisher, Eddie Ford, Callum Coleman-Jones, George Wardlaw, Brynn Teakle, Zane Duursma

MELBOURNE

2. Jacob van Rooyen, 8. Jake Lever, 10. Daniel Turner, 13. Clayton Oliver, 14. Jack Billings, 16. Bailey Laurie, 17. Jake Bowey, 19. Harvey Langford, 20. Xavier Lindsay, 21. Matthew Jefferson, 22. Blake Howes, 24. Trent Rivers, 25. Tom McDonald, 26. Jed Adams, 27. Marty Hore, 28. Will Verrall, 29. Tom Campbell, 30. Harry Sharp, 32. Tom Sparrow, 33. Tom Fullarton, 35. Harrison Petty, 36. Kysaiah Pickett, 37. Kade Chandler, 38. Oliver Sestan, 39. Ricky Mentha Jnr, 40. Taj Woewodin, 41. Kynan Brown, 42. Aidan Johnson, 45. Andy Moniz-Wakefield

Notable absentees: Judd McVee, Caleb Windsor, Jack Viney, Koltyn Tholstrup, Shane McAdam, Steven May, Christian Salem, Christian Petracca, Charlie Spargo, Max Gawn, Ed Langdon, Jake Melksham, Bayley Fritsch