Who is Andy Moniz-Wakefield? Melbourne Demons academy product to make AFL debut against Brisbane

Melbourne Demons academy defender Andy Moniz-Wakefield is set to be the club's fifth debutant of the season as he plays his first game against Brisbane at the Gabba on Friday night.

Moniz-Wakefield first joined the Demons’ region in the Northern Territory as a Category B Rookie. He joined the club via the Next Generation Academy system. The speedy small forward kicked 20 goals for the Casey Demons in his pursuit for an AFL debut in 2023.

By the end of that season, he had outings of three and four goals in the last five games. Three years after his arrival in Melbourne, the 20-year-old will get his moment at the AFL level. His selection comes on the back of incredible consistency in the VFL.

Originally from Darwin, Moniz-Wakefield grew up playing football and rugby before starring in NAB League games for the NT Thunder, his first feature in the AFL world.

When he arrived at the Dees initially, he was in the forward line before making a move to the other end of the ground last season.

Moniz-Wakefield will now add further depth to Melbourne’s formidable defence as he debuts this Friday.

The Melbourne Demons clash with Brisbane at the Gabba on Friday at 7:40pm (AEST).

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Melbourne Demons defender Andy Moniz-Wakefield to debut in R16, the squad so far

AFL Rd 15 - Melbourne Demons v North Melbourne

Known for his precise kicking and explosive speed, defender Moniz-Wakefield is a rookie addition to the Melbourne Demons’ final 23 as they prepare to go against Brisbane at the Gabba on Friday night.

The 20-year-old has kept a fine form in Melbourne’s VFL side so far this season. From 11 matches, he has averaged 24.8 disposals, 5.7 marks and 3.5 tackles per game. His most remarkable performance yet was last week’s collection of a whopping 35 disposals, 10 intercepts, and 22 kicks.

Moniz-Wakefield was recruited to the Demons in the 2021 season as a category B rookie. Initially a small forward, he has moved on to a defence role.

He will be the Demons' fifth debutant of the season, following Blake Howes, Caleb Windsor, Kynan Brown, and Koltyn Tholstrup.

Melbourne are likely to make two changes to their list for this week's clash with the Brisbane Lions, as veteran defender Jake Lever is set to return from a recent knee injury.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin would have the premiership backman join Moniz-Wakefield as an inclusion for this week’s game, while defender Christian Salem is dealing with a knee issue and could make way.

So far, the 23 man squad includes: A.Neal-Bullen, B.Howes, S.May, T.Rivers, C.Salem, A.Tomlinson, M.Gawn - C, J.McVee, C.Oliver, C.Windsor, K.Chandler, H.Petty, J.van Rooyen, T.Sparrow, K.Pickett, K.Tholstrup, B.Fritsch, E.Langdon, J.Viney, J.Bowey, T.McDonald, K.Brown, D.Turner, B.Laurie, T.Fullarton, T.Woewodin