Young Territorian Ricky Mentha Jr has earned a contract extension with Melbourne after an impressive year of development at VFL level.
The 20-year-old has signed a new one-year deal which will keep him at the Demons until at least the end of the 2027 AFL season.
Mentha, who is from Mparntwe / Alice Springs, joined Melbourne in 2024 after becoming the club's first Next Generation Academy product from the Central Australian region.
He will remain on Melbourne's Category B Rookie List as he continues to push for an AFL debut.
The talented utility has now played 36 VFL games for the Casey Demons and took another significant step forward during the 2026 season.
His best performance came against Footscray when he collected a career-high 32 disposals, including 23 kicks.
The Arrernte and Pitjantjatjara man also produced several other games with more than 20 disposals and five tackles, showcasing his speed, agility and willingness to cover off defensively.
Melbourne AFL List Manager Tim Lamb said Mentha had continued to make strong progress since arriving at the club.
"Ricky has improved each year since he joined us in 2024," Lamb told Melbourne's official website.
"He has grown both on and off the field, and we saw some really exciting things from him, particularly later in the season at VFL level.
"We look forward to watching Ricky continue to develop and strive for his first AFL opportunity."
Mentha took an unconventional pathway into the AFL system.
He moved from Alice Springs to country Victoria to pursue basketball before turning his attention to Australian football and playing with Gippsland Power at U18 level.
His performances eventually led to Melbourne adding him to its rookie list through its Next Generation Academy program.
Mentha is yet to make his senior AFL debut, but his improvement at Casey has kept him firmly in Melbourne's plans heading into another pre-season.
There was less positive news for fellow Northern Territorian Andy Moniz-Wakefield, who was not offered a contract by Melbourne for the 2027 season.
Moniz-Wakefield leaves the Demons after joining the club as a Category B Rookie in 2021 through Melbourne's NT Next Generation Academy.
He developed his game with the Casey Demons before breaking through for his AFL debut in 2024.
However, back-to-back knee injuries severely interrupted his progress and limited his opportunities at senior level.
Moniz-Wakefield was among five players not offered new contracts, alongside Jack Henderson, Aidan Johnson, Riley Onley and Kalani White.
