MELBOURNE looks set to welcome back Harrison Petty and Charlie Spargo this weekend as the club heads up North to take on Gold Coast.
Simon Goodwin spoke to the media on Wednesday morning in his weekly press conference to address more selection headaches, the addition of a 19th team and the in-form Suns.
List Health
"Harrison Petty and Charlie Spargo both come back from concussion, so we’re getting healthier and healthier," Goodwin told media.
"Joel Smith came back via the VFL last week. Tom McDonald and Ben Brown have had some niggles but have been playing VFL footy so all those guys are starting to press claims for selection.
"It's healthy, it's challenging for spots after the win last week but we’ll have to make some tough decisions."
James Harmes' Form
"He’s getting closer and closer [to selection]. He’s improving all the time. He's had three weeks back now in our environment, three games under his belt. He’s continuing to improve so selections' tight," Goodwin said.
"Selection and spots are hard and guys that are out of the team are have got to try and force their way into the team which is a really encouraging sign for us.
"Harmes is one of those guys that’s important to us, we know he’s best is good enough it's just continuing to work his way back towards his best footy."
Luke Dunstan's Injury
"He’s got a medial ligament strain, so he’s probably going to miss four to six weeks, which is disappointing for Luke. He was right on the cusp of selection," Goodwin said.
"He’ll go through the right rehab and get himself back and in good form, we need him up and running. He’s an important player for us."
Josh Schache's Wrist
"He’s going to play some form of footy whether that’s AFL or VFL, we haven’t finalised our team just yet," Goodwin said.
"He gave us a really good look at what he could deliver at AFL footy last week. I thought he competed incredibly strongly, he’s a very smart player and he used the ball well. He’s someone we’re actually quite excited about within our environment."
Kysaiah Pickett's Re-Signing
"It was a relief," Goodwin said.
"You want to keep your really good players and Kozzy is one of those but I think it speaks more about our environment, the culture that we create at the Melbourne Football Club and the love that he has for his teammates and the love we have for him. It’s just great reward for our footy club.
"Our supporters get so excited by the way he plays. There’s only a few players that you go to the game of AFL footy and you love watching and Kozzy he excites everyone in the game and more importantly he excites the Melbourne fans and to get his pen on paper is a massive relief for us internally and we’re just blessed to have him on our list."
19th Team
“It’s fundamentally great for footy, you look at the broader picture of the game, the more Australians we reach, it’s fantastic for the game of AFL," Goodwin said.
“Tassie is a very proud football state, it's great for the Tasmanians. It’s just fantastic for footy and it’s a big day for footy.
“Everyone's going to get behind it."
Gold Coast's Hot Form
"They’re a tough team to play, especially up there. They’ve won eight of the last 11 at their home, so we certainly know what we’re going up to," Goodwin said.
"They played an outstanding game last week against Richmond and they’ve been in some really good form.
"It's a tough place to play so we certainly know from our perspective what we’re walking into, a really competitive team that plays well on their home ground.
"Sometimes the conditions can be a bit different so we’ll get up and assess them on Friday and make sure we’re really well prepared heading in."