Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has labelled recent discussions surrounding the selection and future of ruckman Brodie Grundy as "hysteria", while the former Collingwood tall will play as a forward this week at VFL level.
Grundy was dropped from Goodwin's plans for last week's clash with Brisbane, with the Demons boss hoping to see the two-time All-Australian strengthen his ability as a forward to help construct his team's efficiency forward of the ball.
In Goodwin's eyes, the perfect outcome is to have Grundy and captain Max Gawn each play 10 minutes per quarter in the attacking third as part of a ruck-forward rotation, which has struggled at times this year following Grundy's arrival from the Magpies.
Grundy's omission, coupled with Gawn's dominant outing in the one-point win over the Lions last Friday, led to suggestions the former could be viewed as a trade target for rival clubs in need of adding a new frontman to their own ruck stocks.
Despite being contracted until the end of 2027 on a deal that is assisted financially from Collingwood, Grundy remains a key part of Melbourne's plans for the future, according to Goodwin.
The Demons coach was quick to squash any suggestion the club would be opening to trading Grundy or the idea that the 29-year-old is required to be a full-time forward.
"There's been a fair bit of hysteria, there's no question about that," the premiership coach said of his star recruit on Thursday morning.
"From a process of how we're trying to make this combination the most dominant combination in the game. I went on the record post-game saying that we love the ruck combination, which we do. We're trying to increase the combination forward of the ball. We're not trying to turn Brodie Grundy into a forward. Let's be really clear on that.
"We're trying to turn this ruck combination into a dominant force that helps us in the ruck and then also helps us ahead of the ball.
"On the back of that hysteria, I've heard he's playing as a permanent forward and that we're trying to trade him. That's not the case. We love Brodie Grundy; we think that this is going to be a dominant force, and we're going to keep working to do it; we've got a great mindset around it.
"We see Brodie and Max playing 10 minutes a quarter forward of the ball, but how we get that extra exposure is at VFL level. So he'll play as a permanent forward again this week (in the VFL). We know what he can do in the ruck/
"We're trying to increase his ability to impact for the ball. So he'll play there again this week. We think it's exciting. He's buying into it. He wants to do it, he wants this combination to work, and he wants to be a part of it.
"His attitude towards it's been first class, so we think we're going to continue to evolve and develop it."
Goodwin detailed that there is no timeline on how long Grundy will remain at the state league level in representing Casey as a tall forward, with the Demons' match committee hopeful of seeing the 202cm veteran show a range of forward traits to find himself back in the senior side alongside Gawn.
Last week the Demons' reserves went head-to-head with a side littered with St Kilda's AFL-listed talent, where Grundy managed to boot one goal in the under-manned contest. Goodwin said he was pleased with what he saw in the scratch match from his experienced ruckman, but more minutes as a forward in the VFL is still required.
"It was good for him. There was plenty of flow on the ball given it was 14 v 14, it was different," Goodwin said.
"He had some impact and he contributed, he kicked a couple, looked lively in terms of what he was able to do and we get another look at it this week.
"With the increased exposure in the time that he spends forward of the ball, when he comes back he's going to be of benefit to us and we think we're gonna get a really good combination as the year goes on. It's really important to us.
"There's no timeline (on Grundy's VFL stint) at all. What we're trying to do as a club and a team has continued to increase our ability to have an impact forward of the ball. We think we're really comfortable in a lot of areas of the ground and we want to make sure that our forward half of the ground functions really well.
"This combination is part of that. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, we'll continue on the path that we're on right now. We're very open-minded to what it looks like, but as I've said, we leaving no stone unturned to make sure that it becomes a threat in our footy.
"Whether it be aerial, patterns, awareness, helping the team score, there are a whole range of things that go into it. We're not looking for one specific thing, but we want to expose him more so when he does do it at AFL level, he's had an increased exposure at it, and he's better at it and makes the combination even more potent."
In the absence of Grundy for the first time this year, Gawn's Round 18 outing was one of the best across the competition for 2023, with the Demons skipper recording season-highs for hitouts, disposals, contested possessions, tackles and clearances in the thrilling victory.
Goodwin said the performance hasn't drastically shifted his thinking around his ruck rotation, with more of the same now needed for when Melbourne hosts Adelaide on Sunday afternoon at the MCG.
"It was a dominant performance by Max. It was a performance that we've seen in the past," the Demons coach said.
"AFL footy is a long season, and we ask a lot out of our key personnel and Max, and for the first week for the year, he has taken up that sole position and had a really dominant game.
"It's one week, though. We just want to continue to assess things. We're really happy with how Max performed. We're really happy with how he functioned, but we think we can still get growth in our game, and we're gonna keep looking towards that."
The Demons are confident defender Harrison Petty will be in the mix for selection after suffering a second knock to the ribs in as many weeks.
Petty will train throughout the coming days to prove his fitness to Goodwin, while fellow backman Michael Hibberd is also in line to face the Crows after a spell in VFL.
Superstar midfielder Clayton Oliver won't be returning next week, with the onballer still requiring at least three weeks in rehabilitation with an ongoing hamstring issue. The club is confident their four-time best and fairest winner will play again this season.
Melbourne and Adelaide will clash at the MCG on Sunday at 3:20pm (AEST)
