Match details
Melbourne v Richmond, Sunday, August 8, MCG, 2.10pm

Teams
Melbourne
B: Colin Garland, Jared Rivers, Clint Bartram
HB: Rohan Bail, James Frawley, Joel Macdonald
C: Brent Moloney, James McDonald, Jordie McKenzie
HF: Liam Jurrah, Jack Watts, Tom Scully
F: Jamie Bennell, Lynden Dunn, Brad Green
FOLL: Mark Jamar, Colin Sylvia, Aaron Davey
I/C (from): Cameron Bruce, Austin Wonaeamirri, Nathan Jones, Jack Trengove, Paul Johnson, Cale Morton, Brad Miller
In: Miller, Moloney, Trengove    
Out: -

Richmond
B: Chris Newman, Will Thursfield, David Astbury
HB: Brett Deledio, Kelvin Moore, Daniel Connors
C: Mitch Morton, Dustin Martin, Shane Edwards
HF: Ben Nason, Mitch Farmer, Jake King
F: Matt White, Jack Riewoldt, Ben Cousins
Foll: Angus Graham, Shane Tuck, Daniel Jackson
I/C (from): Andrew Collins, Andrew Browne, Tyrone Vickery, Jeromey Webberley, Robbie Hicks, Luke McGuane, Alex Rance
In: Collins, Rance, Vickery
Out: -

Media coverage
Television: Channel 7 (Melbourne, 3.00pm - One hour delay); Radio: Triple M, 3AW 

2010 form
Melbourne: LLWWWLLLWLLDLLWLWW
Richmond: LLLLLLLLLWLWWWWLLW

Ladder position
Melbourne: 10TH, Richmond 14TH

Head-to-head
Played: 178, Melbourne: 77, Draws: 2, Richmond: 99

At this ground
Played: 123, Melbourne: 57, Draws: 1, Richmond: 65

Last time they met
Round 4, 2010: Melbourne 20.13 (133) d Richmond 11.12 (78), MCG

Coach v coach
Dean Bailey: 1 win, 0 losses
Damien Hardwick: 0 wins, 1 loss

Milestones
Colin Sylvia: 100 AFL matches

Injury list
Melbourne
Jack Grimes (hamstring) - 1-2 weeks
Jordie Gysberts (back) - 2-4 weeks
Danny Hughes (ankle) - 1-2 weeks
Stefan Martin (hip) - 1 week
John Meesen (foot) - season
Brent Moloney (corked thigh) - test
Michael Newton (quad) - test
Ricky Petterd (shoulder) - season
Jake Spencer (back) - 2 weeks

Richmond
Andrew Collins (leg) - test
Matt Dea (foot) - 2-3 weeks
Nathan Foley (leg) - season
Ben Griffiths (shoulder) - season
Tom Hislop (patella) - season
Jordan McMahon (ankle) - 1-2 weeks
Richard Tambling (leg) - season
Adam Thompson (groin) - season

Summary
Intriguingly, Melbourne’s season has turned around to the point where it is now just six points out of the top eight. The Demons have won three of their past four matches and are now looking for a hat-trick of victories, after defeating Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions in rounds 17 and 18. Both wins were significant. Firstly, it smashed the red and white by 73 points - Melbourne’s biggest win under Dean Bailey and the Swans’ greatest defeat under Paul Roos. Secondly, the Demons achieved their first win on the road at a regular non-Victorian venue since defeating the Lions in round 14, 2006 (not counting Melbourne’s round nine ‘home’ win over Port Adelaide in Darwin earlier this year). Although several pundits have predicted an eighth-place finish for the Demons, internally the red and blue is firmly focused on the ‘one week at a time’ mantra, knowing that competitive performances and wins have been scarce over the past two years. Consistency is the focus and producing four-quarter efforts remains Melbourne’s challenge in 2010. For the Tigers, they have bounced back in extraordinary fashion, after losing their opening nine matches. Richmond has now won six of its past nine matches to offer genuine promise for the future.

Players to watch
Melbourne - Jack Watts: The 2008 No.1 NAB AFL Draft pick has been under the spotlight since the day he was drafted, but the key forward is starting to silence his critics with further progression and a strong work-rate in recent weeks. Last round against the Lions he impressed with a career-high 27 disposals.

Richmond - Jack Riewoldt: The key forward has booted 65 goals this year and is at the top of the AFL’s goalkicking table, along with Bulldog star Barry Hall. Riewoldt has flourished this year, particularly in the absence of club great Matthew Richardson. His likely duel with James Frawley should be a beauty.

Leading disposal winners so far in 2010
Melbourne: Cameron Bruce (398)
Richmond: Brett Deledio (469)

Leading goalkickers so far in 2010
Melbourne: Brad Green (44)
Richmond: Jack Riewoldt (65)

How’s stat?
Melbourne has played 11 matches at the MCG this year, winning five matches, drawing one against Collingwood in round 12 and losing five games.

Memorable match
Grand Final, 1940: Melbourne 15.17 (107) d Richmond 10.8 (68), MCG

One of Melbourne’s hat-trick of premierships from 1939, 1940 and 1941 came against Richmond - in 1940 - with a 39-point win on a wet, miserable day at the ‘G. Norm Smith starred with seven goals. Tragically it would be Harold Ball, Sid Anderson and Ron Barassi Senior’s last game, as they were lost in WWII. Richmond great Jack Dyer was tagged out of the game.

Foot in both camps
John Northey, Neil Balme, Andrew Manzie, Frank ‘Checker’ Hughes, Percy Page, Cameron Schwab, Craig Cameron, Ross Brewer, Cameron Clayton, Phil Egan, Simon Eishold, Laurie Fowler, Graham Gaunt, Andy Goodwin, Ben Holland, John Howat, Craig McKellar, Billy Nettlefold, Steven O’Dwyer, Michael Pickering, Troy Simmonds, Chris Sullivan and Scott Sutcliffe.

What Dean says …
“Our focus is Richmond and we need to get to the game and perform well. As long as we keep competing and winning quarters, which is what we have been doing, we just need to focus on that.”

Key Melbourne question
Can Melbourne notch up its third consecutive win, for just the second time under Dean Bailey’s reign, and keep pushing towards a possible September outing?