MELBOURNE has made one change to its side to face Essendon.   

Harrison Petty will make his return to the MCG after a week on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. 

Petty experienced hamstring awareness after facing Brisbane in Round 16, but has been selected to take on the Bombers after successfully completing his rehab program. 

Max Gawn will miss the Round 18 clash, with the club’s High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith providing a second update on the skipper on Tuesday afternoon. 

“Unfortunately for Max he sustained that injury during the game,” Griffith said. 
 
“Following the game, he had some swelling and scans confirmed that he has that small chip to the fibula.   

“Now, it's about how we best prepare Max for the back end of the season.”  

Simon Goodwin shared his excitement for the clash with fourth-placed Essendon in Wednesday’s media conference. 

“We're hoping for a really big crowd, it's obviously a massive opportunity against a team that's in some really strong form,” Goodwin said. 

“So, we know the challenge. It's a big game for us. We want to get as many of our supporters there to cheer us on in what is shaping up as a really important game as a lot of them are for teams moving forward.” 

The first bounce is scheduled for 7:30pm at the MCG and you can grab your tickets to Saturday's game here.