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Melbourne locks in Jesse Hogan for two more years

Jesse Hogan during his time with Melbourne. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
3rd October, 2016
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The first piece of the trade period puzzle has fallen into place, with the Melbourne Demons re-signing young star forward Jesse Hogan for two years.

Speculation had been mounting for some time now that Hogan, who grew up in Perth, may have been heading home to play with the Fremantle Dockers.

However the 2015 Rising Star winner decided against a move to the west coast, opting instead to extend his contract with the Demons until the end of the 2019 season. Hogan’s previous contract was due to expire at the end of 2017.

“Melbourne is where I want to be. I really like the city and I’m really excited about what we can do together as a footy club,” Hogan said.

“I didn’t really want all the speculation out there, so there is a bit of relief now that we’ve got it done and I can just focus on being a footballer again.

“Obviously a lot has been made of me being a Perth boy, but the Club has been great in allowing me to head home when I can and that’s something that’s made my decision much easier. They’ve been really good with my situation and something that I am really appreciative of.”

After a tremendous rookie year, when he finished atop Melbourne’s goalscoring charts and finished fourth in the club’s best-and-fairest award, Hogan endured a difficult start to the 2016 season.

But the young forward was able to turn his form around, cementing himself as one of the game’s premier young forwards and, after today’s news, a key player for the Demons to build around for the near future.

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Speaking about the deal, Melbourne’s general manager of football, Josh Mahoney, said the Demons weren’t concerned about the trade rumours surrounding their young star.

“We were always comfortable with the situation regarding Jesse’s contract,” Mahoney said.

“We knew it was going to create a lot of external attention, but it was important for the club to continue focusing on creating the best environment possible for our players. We think this decision is an outcome of that and another strong sign that our player group believes in the future of this club.”

“Jesse has achieved a lot in his first 41 games of football; he is a competitive character who wants to achieve much more individually and as a team. He, along with our coaches and players, are looking forward to adding more layers to his game in 2017 and beyond.

“We had ongoing dialogue with Jesse’s management throughout the year and while there was always going to be a lot of supporter and media attention on the renegotiation, we believe in what we are trying to achieve at the Club and felt that Jesse would want to be part of it.

“The other important aspect of this is that Jesse joins a number of other players who have re-signed with the Club this year, which is a great indication for what we are building.”

The 2016 AFL trade period begins next Monday, October 10, at 10am (AEDT).

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