AFL 2026: Carlton Blues star Will Hayward suspended; The path to 250 games for Melbourne Demons forward Jake Melksham; Lance Collard hearing
Updated ,first published
In today’s AFL Briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- Now a family man, Jake Melksham’s perspective ahead of his 250th game has changed.
- St Kilda’s Lance Collard to face hearing over alleged homophobic taunt.
- Carlton coach Michael Voss is ready to rise again after Easter sabbatical.
- The Demons have announced a highly rated former Magpies coach as their new AFL coach.
- James Jordon’s defensive reputation across the league is hard-earnt.
Carlton utility Will Hayward has copped a one-match ban after his swinging arm to the stomach of North Melbourne’s George Wardlaw was deemed as an intentional strike.
The former Swan will be missing from the Carlton side for their brutally tough assignment against Adelaide to kick off Gather Round in South Australia on Thursday night.
After prolonged debate about Hayward’s case and where it fitted in the light of the AFL’s off-season crackdown on “gut punches”, the AFL Tribunal ruled that Haywood’s strike was intentional – a ruling chairman Jeff Gleeson KC said was “irresistible” to reach.
With Carlton also missing defender Jacob Weitering due to concussion, the Blues’ challenge to save their season after a 1-3 start and reduce pressure on besieged coach Michael Voss is suddenly much harder.
– Scott Spits
More to come
Melksham’s path to 250 games littered with lows, and YouTube highs
Danny Russell
Jake Melksham is almost embarrassed to admit he is constantly watching highlights of his career, a football journey that spans two AFL clubs, 17 years and 249 games.
The Melbourne forward will celebrate his 250th match against his first club, Essendon, at Gather Round in Adelaide on Saturday.
It is a milestone that has been a long time in the making, and included as many gut-wrenching lows as it has highs – he was one of 34 Essendon players banned for the 2016 season, missed selection in Melbourne’s 2021 premiership side, and ruptured an ACL at the end of 2023.
But thanks to YouTube and his enthusiastic children, the good times are never far from sight.
“I certainly see them [the highlights] a little bit, with my kids at home putting them on YouTube most weekends before a game,” the 34-year-old Melksham said on Tuesday.
“I think early on, I might have said, ‘Hey, boys, have a look at this’, and then, yeah, when you get to the YouTube feed, it’s just at the top now and just rolls in the background.
“We could be having dinner or having family time, and the highlights are in the background. It just goes from one to the next.
“I think there are ones from when I was playing juniors, and then when I was at Essendon. The kids think the Essendon ones are quite funny because obviously none of them were born, and they see you run around in a different jumper, which is quite cool.”
Melksham’s career could double as a masterclass in resilience.
First taken by Essendon at pick No.10 in the 2009 national draft, he crossed to Melbourne at the end of 2015 to be reunited with former Bombers assistant Simon Goodwin.
“I think the time at Essendon really helped me deal with adversity because that was just constant,” he said.
“When you have these little pieces of adversity, or troughs in your career, and you get through them, you go, ‘That was hard, but it wasn’t that bad. There’s a fair bit else going on in the world that’s a lot worse’.
“So I think the older I’ve got, even with my knee, which was hard [to deal with] early on, and not playing the grand final was hard, but after a little while, or a couple of months, it’s gone – it’s in the past.
“I think if you look in the rearview mirror all the time, and you worry about what’s happened in the past, then it affects what you’re going to do in the future.
“I’ve tried to not let anything dampen my spirits in that regard. You just get on with life and move on.”
Melksham said Melbourne had been revitalised by new coach Steven King and a younger playing group, but he would not forecast playing beyond this year.
“My gut feel is the same thought every year – it’s probably going to be my last year,” he said.
“I think when you’ve watched me play over the past few years, that’s how I’ve played – I have tried to play as if every game and every year is my last, and enjoy it for what it is.
“Me and Max [Gawn] joke about it every time we go on our end-of-season trips, but we’ll end up having another good year, and we’ll sign another one-year deal at the end of the year.
“We’ll come back to that in a few months’ time. We’ll see where that lands.”
Collard to face hearing on Thursday over alleged homophobic comment
Peter Ryan
St Kilda forward Lance Collard will face a disciplinary hearing on Thursday after allegedly directing a homophobic comment towards a Frankston opponent in a VFL game a fortnight ago.
The hearing will be open to the media to ensure transparency in a case where versions of what was allegedly said are being contested.
Collard denied using the offensive slur when the AFL integrity unit investigated him, which has led to the unprecedented step of a tribunal hearing being convened to determine the matter.
It is the first time an AFL player has been made to appear in front of such a tribunal, which will be chaired by Jeff Gleeson and begin at 1pm.
Collard, who is contracted until 2027, was suspended for six matches in 2024 after using a homophobic slur when playing for Sandringham in the VFL against Williamstown.
He admitted to the offence at that time and apologised before undertaking Pride in Sport training.
The ramifications for Collard are unclear if he is found guilty of a second offence, but another suspension for the same offence would place his AFL career in doubt.
Collard has legal representation and one competition source, who chose to remain anonymous, said the Saint was leaving his legal options open as he proceeds to the hearing.
The 21-year-old has played 15 matches since the Saints drafted him with pick 28 in the 2024 national draft but is yet to appear in the seniors this season.
The AFL Players Association wants a proper process to be established to deal with off-field disciplinary matters.
The union wants players to have the right to challenge any decisions and a sanctioning framework to be in place.
Previous players suspended for making homophobic comments on the ground have admitted their use and accepted the penalty handed down.
Former Port Adelaide player Jeremy Finlayson became the first player suspended for the offence when he received a three-match ban in 2024 after using the slur during Gather Round.
Stoic Carlton coach Michael Voss says he is not paying any attention to the speculation over his future in the job, insisting morale remains high among his charges despite their troubled start to the season.
Pressure is mounting with every defeat at Ikon Park, but the man at the helm remains calm and composed, calling for perspective as the Blues search for an answer to their costly second-half fadeouts.
Voss spent much of the long weekend eating Easter eggs and hot cross buns while his future as Blues coach was the talk of the football world.
Melbourne great Garry Lyon has said there will be an “inevitable parting” between club and coach but Voss, out of contract at the end of the season, said he is ignoring the talk and preparing for Carlton’s game against Adelaide on Thursday, six days after their capitulation against North Melbourne late on Good Friday.
“I spent the weekend eating Easter eggs, and having short turnarounds and short breaks [to the Adelaide game] … means … what you encourage the playing group is to switch off when you need to to get your rest, and then when you’re on, be on,” Voss said.
“Outside of having the rest … and enjoying those fine hot-cross buns … and then also dialling in on what we need to be able to do next, the message is really clear: don’t make it bigger than what it is, and just still value the really important things we want in our game.
“There’s really no other conversation, not in here anyway.”
The heat is building externally. Blues football boss Chris Davies was asked on the weekend if Voss would coach this week against Adelaide.
“I don’t pay any attention to it,” Voss said. “You’ve been here the last three weeks. You asked the same question every single week. At some point in time, you’ve just got to get on with the task at hand and that’s what we’re doing.”
Progress is proving incremental for the Blues, who won their first third quarter of the season against North Melbourne only to be overrun in the final term.
Voss said he was still seeing the same errors being made but “for shorter periods”. He is adamant spirits remain high in the locker room.
“Absolutely,” Voss said. “The key part is doing it. When the games get tougher, how do we still execute what we need to through those critical times?
“If you look at behind-the-goals vision, paying attention to little things and being there for each other has been a real positive for us, but you’ve also got to do it for the entirety of the game, and that’s what we’ve been challenged on.”
Voss said he did not sense a disconnect between the club and its supporters, many of whom are frustrated at the prospect of another unsuccessful season.
“No, I don’t,” Voss said. “Where we’re aligned on is that we’re not happy with where we’re at. I think we can agree on that.”
Voss said veteran Nick Haynes and Adam Saad were in consideration to come into a Blues defence that will be missing backline general Jacob Weitering. Zac Williams was part of the main group for the early parts of training, in a sign he will be available after missing last week.
Midfielder Cooper Lord returned to training but is more likely to return next week against Collingwood.
Dees pounce on former Pies coach to lead their AFLW group
Hannah Kennelly
Melbourne have appointed Tom Wilson as their new AFLW coach, poaching the former assistant coach from Collingwood.
Wilson replaces inaugural premiership coach Mick Stinear, who resigned and joined Geelong’s coaching staff at the end of 2025 after a decade with the Demons.
Wilson, who played 176 games across 15 years in the VFL and earned league life membership, joined the Magpies ahead of the 2023 season, overseeing Collingwood’s midfield and working as a development coach.
In a statement, Collingwood’s AFLW executive general manager Jess Burger congratulated Wilson on the appointment and wished him and his family well in this next chapter.
“In his time at the Club, Tom has bought leadership, expertise, dedication and deep care to our VFL and AFLW programs and the wider club,” Burger said.
“He has invested deeply in our players, [and] our people and leaves a positive impact on the club.”
The Demons had a strong 2025, reaching a preliminary final where they were defeated by the rampant Kangaroos by just 10 points. Wilson’s appointment marks a reset for the Demons, who recently appointed Katrina Gill as their AFLW general manager.
Melbourne’s chief of football and innovation, Ned Guy, said Wilson’s appointment provided a springboard for the AFLW program to launch into the upcoming season.
“Throughout the process it became apparent to us that he [Wilson] is the perfect person to take our program to the next level,” Guy said.
“He has quickly built a strong reputation in the women’s coaching space, with his ability to communicate strongly and accelerate the growth of his players.”
The Swan making a name shutting down some of the AFL’s best onballers
Vince Rugari
After keeping West Coast star Harley Reid quiet, Swans tagger James Jordon is ready to put the clamp on whichever Gold Coast midfielder he is sent to this weekend.
Jordon restricted Reid to just 17 disposals, one clearance and one mark in Sydney’s monstrous 128-point win over the Eagles on Saturday – the club’s biggest ever win away from home.
His performance earned strong plaudits from West Coast coach Andrew McQualter, who described Jordon as one of the AFL’s premier shutdown players – and he is expecting to perform a similar role in this weekend’s Gather Round clash against the Suns, who suffered their first loss of the season in an upset against Melbourne on Sunday.
Coach Dean Cox is yet to hand Jordon his assignment, but there is no shortage of worthy targets in Golf Coast’s star-studded midfield, which could yet include Christian Petracca, who is an outside chance of returning from a hamstring injury.
“They’ve got a whole heap of talent across the board there,” Jordon said on Tuesday. “If we go that way, then I’m happy to do whatever Coxy wants me to do.
“I felt like I did a pretty good job on the weekend. [Reid is] an extremely talented player who can break the game open. You’ve got to be pretty diligent all game and I felt like I was able to do that for most of the game.”
Jordon, 25, is in his third year with the Swans and has established himself as a crucial role-player since his move from the Demons as an unrestricted free agent.
Being deployed as a stopper, he said, was a task he had grown to love.
“I’m a pretty competitive person and I enjoy that challenge every week,” he said.
“[You’ve] definitely got to watch a lot of vision. Often going up against their No.1 player as well, if you give them a split second, they can just break the game open like that.
“I’ll sit down with [assistant coaches] Benny Matthews, [and] Amon Buchanan, [and] try to put a little plan in place. You’ve got to be aware of things that they might throw at you as well.
“If it can contribute to us winning games of footy, then I’m more than happy to do it.”
The Swans will face the Suns at Norwood Oval, the peculiarly shaped home of the SANFL’s Redlegs in Adelaide’s inner-eastern suburbs. Tuesday’s training session took place between cones laid to emulate the historic venue’s narrow dimensions to better prepare those like Jordon, who have never played there before.
“It definitely was a bit noticeable. But we’ll adjust,” he said. “We’re looking forward to getting there. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Norwood and the crowd there.”
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Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.
