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How to tune into Sport NationDelisted Dee keen to play on for a third AFL club
SEN • October 10th, 2025 8:22 pm
Jack Billings' journey with the Melbourne Football Club may have been short-lived, but the 172-game midfielder knows he has plenty more to give.
After coming across from the Saints at the conclusion of the 2023 season, Billings managed just 17 games for the Demons, playing only once in 2025 despite being fit and ready across the entire campaign.
Out of favour, the Dees opted to let go of the 30-year-old, despite not specifying why the experienced midfielder went without opportunity.
“I loved my time at the Dees,” Billings told AFL Trade Radio.
“It obviously didn’t go the way that I wanted it to, and it was pretty quick – just the two years there.
“This year was really challenging for the whole club, and personally my year, I had a great pre-season, I understood the position that I was in.
“I came to the club; I wasn’t in that senior core group that played a lot together and had some success. I wasn’t one of these early draft picks that they were going to try and play. I knew I had to be playing really well to be playing, so I understood that.
“Had a good pre-season, some good practice games and then missed out in Round 1, which took me by surprise a little bit. As the season went on, obviously we didn’t go great, and there was no opportunity for me.
“It got to the end of the year, and it wasn’t surprising, but throughout the year my mind started thinking of other things. By the end it was fine, I loved my time there, great group of guys and built some great relationships going forward.
“Clearly, I would have liked to contribute more, I still think I could help with that (future direction) but it is what it is.”
While his time with Melbourne was far from ideal, Billings believes his still has plenty to give at AFL level.
“Yeah definitely (want to play on),” Billings said.
“It’s early days, but I’m definitely exploring it with my manager. We will get through the trade period first, and then it might start to ramp up. Right now, I’d say I’m definitely exploring what that could look like.”
“Why do you think they did draw a line through you this year?” Tom Morris asked.
Billings: “I’m not sure, to be honest.”
James Hird added: “If that was me, I’d be ringing them back up.
“I’d want to know, because I’d want to improve. It might dent the ego a little bit, but you’d actually want to know why they delisted you, because they’d have reasons.
“They’d have their own reasons; they may have been positive about it.”
Billings: “I think it was a unique situation with the fact that the person that I speak to the most - being the coach (Simon Goodwin) - at the end the year, wasn’t actually there.
“It was super challenging, but just going back to that point, I made a real conscious effort even though I wasn’t playing where I wanted to.
“I was at the lower level, and I just wanted to be really efficient and have really good involvement when I was playing on the weekends at AFL level. If I reflect on that, I think I was able to do that.”
Despite entering his 30s, Billings believes his physical health is as good as it’s ever been and is ready to attack a strong pre-season with any club willing to take him on.
“One of my biggest strengths is my work ethic, so I think that is something I can offer a club.
“More experience, the character side of things, trying to be a role model. My last couple of years at the Saints, I had some real challenges with my body; had a back injury, broke my leg.
“I worked really hard to get myself back to a really good position physically. That’s probably one of the things I was most proud of at Melbourne; over the two years I was only unavailable for one week.
“Physically, I’m feeling really good and covering the ground as well as I have in four or five years.”
