Melbourne recruit Zane Duursma has admitted his first three years in the AFL have been “mentally taxing” as the ex-Kangaroo prepares to begin a new chapter.
The 21-year old was traded to the Demons after struggling to fulfil his potential at Arden Street after being drafted with the No. 4 pick in the loaded 2023 draft, which included the likes of Harley Reid, Nick Watson and Nate Caddy.
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The young forward played 15 of his 38 AFL games in 2026 but again found himself out of the senior side late in the season.
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And not even a phone call from new North Melbourne coach Jaymie Graham could persuade Duursma to stick around after an exciting pitch from Dees recruiters convinced him to seek a fresh start in red and blue.
“Probably (not) cementing my spot in the senior side, I feel like I was a bit here and there throughout the three years I was at North Melbourne. Just finding my way was challenging,” Duursma said of his trade call on SEN radio.
“It comes back to that meeting I had with the Dees, they were just so honest and open and had a really inviting aura around what they were offering. That’s sort of what won me over.
“I was actually in Japan on holidays when I got a WhatsApp call from Jaymie Graham.
“He quite simply just told me he believes I’m in their future and they have great plans for me coming up in the next however long I would’ve been at North Melbourne. But I simply just told him I’d already made my decision up.
“But I couldn’t speak more higher of Jaymie Graham, he was fantastic the way he handled it.”
Duursma says he got “really frustrated” and “in my own head” over an inability to regularly find the footy. He thinks it halted him from “doing the things I know I’m capable of” at AFL level.
He conceded the pressures of being a high draft pick and social media criticism had taken a toll.
“It’s mentally taxing. We have fantastic psychologists that we see and I can’t speak any higher of the AFLPA for helping me out in that regard. In all honesty, it is hard to manage but we have the right people and resources to manage it,” Duursma added.
“I definitely know it did (impact me). I know in my second and third year, it definitely got to me. Scrolling on Instagram, you see it. I myself would sometimes click on the old comment section and have a quick read.
“It’s something you’re sort of drawn to as a younger guy and you want to see that stuff and see what people are saying.
“(North Melbourne head of player wellbeing and development) Corey Maynard calls it rat poison. So, I’m doing my best now to not associate myself with that stuff and it’s been going a bit better.”
Duursma envisions himself playing a “half forward roaming” role for Steven King’s side with an ability to pinch hit in the midfield as the club looks to build off a promising wildcard appearance under the first-year coach.
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