Melbourne Demons coach Simon Goodwin has confirmed that key forwards Tom McDonald and Ben Brown will line-up in the VFL this week as they look to work themselves back into the AFL team after injuries.
McDonald had a goal and 10 touches in his first hitout since Round 11 in the VFL over the weekend against Carlton and remains an option for the Demons for the pointed end of the season.
Brown passed his physical and was in contention for selection but Goodwin has opted to ease him back into football through the VFL for the state league competition's final round this weekend.
Goodwin spoke about the availability of tall forwards in a press conference on Thursday morning as selection speculation continues to surround makeshift attacker Brodie Grundy.
"Browny (Brown) has obviously missed a little bit of training and a game so he'll come back this week and will hopefully get through training via the VFL," said Goodwin.
"Tom Mcdonald will play his second game, (Tom) was a little bit rusty on the weekend but he'll play another game in the VFL and start to build on that.
"We're starting to get some options, which we need.
"We're not blessed with a lot of talls playing footy at the moment so to get those guys up and running will certainly give us more options at AFL level, also Bayley Fritsch is a week away.
"We're starting to get more options around selection in that part of the game which we need to because we need to have options going forward."
Goodwin was asked if Grundy would remain in the side with the other key forwards playing in the VFL.
"We haven't had that meeting yet, clearly we went with Brodie on the weekend in some really tough conditions, a really hot slippery game of footy," said the Demons coach.
"Certainly wasn't a night for key forwards to dominate, which we clearly saw from either team, there certainly wasn't a dominant forward on the ground.
"We'll have a good look at that training and chat about it after and pick the team after that.
"We don't play until Sunday but we will continue to look at what is best for us at the moment."
Grundy's selection remains a controversial topic, with the 29-year-old struggling to find his spot in the side.
In his first year at the Demons after a shock move from Collingwood, the two-time All-Australian has fallen out of favour, returning to the senior side for Round 22's loss to Carlton effectively out of necessity after injuries limited their forward stocks.
His partnership with Max Gawn in the ruck has hurt the impact of both players, Goodwin trying to convert Grundy into a forward, but so far to little success.
Confirmation of Grundy's selection will be revealed on Thursday night ahead of their clash with the Hawks on Sunday.
The Demons will hope to secure a top-four finish when they meet an in-form Hawthorn side on Sunday at the MCG at 3:20PM (AEST).
