Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says crafty forward Bayley Fritsch "ain't going anywhere" despite ongoing speculation of his future beyond 2025.
Fritsch has previously been linked to a move from the Demons, and is contracted for next year, despite Channel 7's Mitch Cleary declaring he won't be seen in the red and blue.
However, following an outstanding performance against West Coast on Saturday, where the 28-year-old kicked four goals, Goodwin was bemused by the external talk, and said that Fritsch is a "Melbourne person".
"Fritta is a highly valued player," Goodwin said with a wry smile.
"Trades get floated everywhere. I'm not sure where they come from, but he ain't going anywhere. He's a Melbourne person and he's Melbourne through and through.
"He's worked incredibly hard on his game the whole way through the season, and we recognised him during the week, and celebrated him for the growth that he's had.
"He's started to get the rewards the last six or seven weeks."
Fritsch has turned his poor start to the year around, slotting 22 goals in the past 10 weeks, including 12 in the previous month.
His performance was among a bevy of Demons who produced outstanding efforts against the lowly Eagles at Marvel Stadium.
"Warriors" Jack Viney and Max Gawn stood up when it mattered most, while Christian Petracca, Trent Rivers and Ed Langdon also received praise.
Viney led the way with 25 disposals and 13 clearances, while Gawn inched his name closer to a staggering eighth All-Australian blazer.
"They're warriors of the Melbourne footy club," Goodwin said.
"They're proud leaders, and they were outstanding, right from the set-up early in the week about how we were going to review to what they drove.
"To come out and perform the way they performed, it wasn't just those guys, but clearly they're the two key pillars of your footy team.
"But Ed Langdon, Christian Petracca, Tom Sparrow … Trent Rivers is a leader of our footy club, and they all came out and performed to a really high level."
Goodwin didn't leave out youngsters Harvey Langford (three goals and 16 possessions) and Caleb Windsor (16 touches and five tackles) in his post-match assessment, whilst also giving a nod to club debutant Jai Culley, who played predominantly on the wing.
The Demons have a tough run toward the end of 2025, but can wreak havoc on the top eight as they face the Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn and Collingwood.
