MELBOURNE has left Tom McDonald out of its 22 for Wednesday night’s clash with the Crows, as it opts for just two tall targets inside 50.

Simon Goodwin confirmed the news in his weekly press conference, deciding that the Luke Jackson and Sam Weideman combination is the best set-up for his side.

“[Three talls] just didn’t look like it was going to function in the right manner,” Goodwin said.

“Clearly, it was a slightly dewy night, but those are the sort of games we’re playing in at the moment.”

McDonald, who has played just one game since Round 6 when he suffered an eye injury, kicked 53 goals in 2018 and hasn’t been able to recapture his best form in recent times.

And despite starting his career as a defender, Goodwin says the 27-year-old won’t be trialled at the other end of the field.

“We’re really clear with our footy team – we want guys to execute their roles at a really high level,” he said.

“Unfortunately for Tom, at this stage, he hasn’t been able to do that for a period of time now, so we’ve got to work with Tom to get him back to his best.

“We see him as a forward for our footy club and that’s where we’ll keep him.”

Since Round 16 last season where the key forward booted six goals against the Blues, he has struggled to get any continuity in his game.

And while he's yet to have a major impact in 2020, McDonald is still an important player for the Dees at his best.

“There’s been a fair few dry spells in between that time,” Goodwin said.

“We’re pretty clear for Tom of how we want him to play, how we need him to play – like a big man, compete aerially and at ground level and we’re going to keep working with him.

“He’s an important player to us, he’s an experienced player, but I think Tom would be disappointed with his output in recent times and we need to get him to his best.”

In other selection news, Goodwin confirmed Aaron vandenBerg will return from a cheekbone injury in Round 10.