Once bitten, twice shy, Melbourne are adamant they won’t let West Coast wunderkind Harley Reid show them up a second time.
No.1 draft pick Reid proved the architect of the Demons’ downfall in the Eagles’ shock 35-point home win in May, collecting 21 disposals, seven clearances, two goals and three score assists in a magical display.
That included burning off Christian Petracca then taking three bounces to kick one of his majors, and another play where he fended off Clayton Oliver with his left hand and Petracca with his right before clearing the ball forward for Jack Darling to goal.
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The Demons (12th, 8-7) will reunite with Reid and the Eagles (16th, 3-12) at the MCG on Sunday.
“We’ll be prepared for Harley Reid this time,” coach Simon Goodwin said on Thursday.
“He showed us last time what he’s capable of to a really high level. So there’s no doubt we’ll be prepared for Harley Reid.
“We will have some plans in place to make sure he doesn’t have the impact that he had on the game last time. That’s one of our challenges for the weekend.
“The midfield need to respond in that area this week against a high-quality midfield group.”
Goodwin insisted there were no thoughts of “revenge or retribution”, simply that Melbourne wanted to get back to their best.
“It wasn’t too long ago that we played West Coast at their best,” he said.
“Five weeks ago in Perth they dominated the game and clearly beat us through the middle of the ground.
“So we certainly know what their best looks like, and we’ll be preparing for that.”
The Demons are determined to get star ruckman and captain Max Gawn more involved in the contest this time.
“Bailey Williams did a great job on Max last time – he pretty much tagged him wherever he went over the ground,” Goodwin said.
“So that’s certainly a big part of our planning as well, where we position Max to give him maximum influence in the game, and also how we help him.”
Melbourne also face a decision over whether forward Jake Melksham returns from his anterior cruciate ligament tear via the VFL or is brought straight back into the senior side.
“He’s been doing match loads for six or seven weeks,” Goodwin said.
“He’s certainly in contention to play at both levels but we’ll work out what’s best for Jake.”
Goodwin was confident Christian Salem (knee) and Jake Bowey (corked back) would face West Coast, but Harrison Petty (hamstring) will need to prove his fitness.