MELBOURNE has made a late change to its Round 5 side, withdrawing Ben Brown due to back soreness.

The 30-year-old was scheduled to make his return for the Demons’ Gather Round clash against Essendon on Saturday, but will instead require another week on the sidelines.

“Ben managed to get through our final session on Friday, but has pulled up a bit sore in his back this morning,” Melbourne’s GM of AFL Performance Alan Richardson said.

“We have made the decision to take a precautionary approach and withdraw Ben from today’s game.

“He will continue to be monitored by our medical and high-performance teams over the coming days and from there, we will be able to provide a further update.”

Jake Melksham will come into the Dees’ starting side as Brown’s replacement.