After conceding a season-high 104 points against Essendon during Gather Round, Melbourne is set to look much stronger behind the ball on Monday night, with premiership defenders Jake Lever and Michael Hibberd to return against Richmond.
In going down to the Dons in the wet at Adelaide Oval, the Demons coughed up triple figures for only the second time since the dawn of the 2020 season.
Essendon's 62 first-half points were also the most conceded by the Redlegs since their disastrous 2018 preliminary final loss to eventual premiers West Coast.
Forced to do battle against Brad Scott's rising Bombers without the services of Lever, dual All-Australian Steven May was left to play a lone hand in the air, as rucking duo Sam Draper and Andrew Phillips kept the Oval's iconic scoreboard ticking over.
The pair also kept Brodie Grundy busy at stoppages, combining to beat the recent import with 39 hitouts to 24.
With a 3-2 record entering the ANZAC eve fixture, Simon Goodwin will be breathing easier ahead of the tantalising clash against the Tigers.
Further reinforcements could well be on the cards, with skipper Max Gawn making strong strides towards a return in Monday night's fixture after straining his medial ligament in Round 2.
As revealed by Goodwin on Friday, the premiership captain will face Richmond, should he prove his fitness during the club's major training session ahead of the weekend.
"He's done a power of work, we're pretty confident he's going to be right to go but we need to see him really finish off his work, train fully and be really clear with us that he's raring to go," Goodwin was quoted by AFL Media.
"Clearly it's a little bit earlier than first thought, but he internally has progressed fairly well.
"He's a pro, Gawny, when it comes to his rehab and his recovery and he wants to play as much footy as he can, but we certainly wouldn't take a risk with him."
The Dees have reigned supreme during the now annual fixture, winning the last two ANZAC Day eve matches by an average of 28 points.
The opening bounce of the clash between the MCG's oldest tenants is scheduled for 7:25 pm (AEST) on Monday night.