Melbourne to treat NAB Challenge seriously by playing best possible team in all three games

MELBOURNE has pledged to play its strongest possible side in all three NAB Challenge games, aware it needs to hit Round 1 at full-tilt.

Melbourne football training Nathan Jones Gosch's paddock Picture:Wayne Ludbey

MELBOURNE has pledged to play its strongest possible side in all three NAB Challenge games, aware it needs to hit Round 1 at full-tilt.

Richmond, Port Adelaide and West Coast took drastically weakened squads into their opening matches, but the Demons will strive to unleash their best players throughout the pre-season competition, starting interstate against Port Adelaide on Saturday.

Coach-in-waiting Simon Goodwin will lead the side during the NAB Challenge, with the club intent on showing improvement from the start of the home-and-away season.

Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney said the extended eight-man bench encouraged the Demons to rotate their players during games instead of resting them altogether.

“We’ll play our strongest side throughout the three weeks. Obviously that means we’ll manage game time within that, but we see it as really important that we attack this part of the year and start to be a lot more competitive from the outset,” Mahoney said.

“With the numbers that you can play now, even with putting your best side out there you can still manage game time rather than having to give guys full weeks off.

“Often you find that during that period you have to give them top-ups at training anyway, so the best way to do it is to manage them through games.

“The players who have done the work and are fit to play, will play.”

Heritier Lumumba (ankle), Jack Trengove (foot) and Christian Petracca (toe) remain sidelined.

Petracca, who missed all of last season because of a knee reconstruction, still hasn’t rejoined the main group and won’t feature at all in the NAB Challenge.

But Christian Salem has emerged from his own 2015 injury nightmare, starring in the Demons’ intra-club off half-back.

The former No.9 draft pick was restricted to only 10 games last year as he battled hamstring issues, but has thrived over summer on a carefully-designed program.

“We missed him last year when he didn’t play for an extended period of time off half-back,” Mahoney said.

“We’re confident he’s over those issues, he’s got his own program and we saw in the intraclub how valuable a player he can be for us.”

Banned recruit Jake Melksham will spend his time away from the game doing part-time work in the property development industry and will also undertake university studies.

“Jake’s really seen this as an opportunity halfway through his career to have a ‘gap year’, if you like,” Mahoney said.

“He’ll maintain his fitness until later in the year when he can start to do a bit more.”

Originally published as Melbourne to treat NAB Challenge seriously by playing best possible team in all three games