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Koltyn Tholstrup will debut for Melbourne after goal sneak Kysaiah Pickett’s one-match ban for his hit on Crow Jake Soligo was upheld.
It comes as the Demons have officially put Pickett on notice for his costly bump.
Match review officer Michael Christian deemed Pickett’s hit to be careless conduct with medium impact and high contact.
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Pickett left the ground, his upper arm making late contact with Soligo’s head after he had disposed of the ball.
His ban was upheld at the tribunal on Tuesday night, with Demons coach Simon Goodwin urging the young forward to tweak his game to avoid any further time on the sidelines.
“We don’t want one of our best players missing games of footy,” Goodwin told reporters on Wednesday.
“We love the way he attacks the footy, but can you get better at it?”
Pickett has been suspended three times over the last 18 months, namely being slapped with a two-match ban for a bump on Bulldog Bailey Smith last season.
Goodwin is adamant that he and assistant coaches have already begun to help Pickett clean up his dangerous game style.
“We’ll continue to work on the tackle technique and the way to intercept the ball better,” he said.
“He’ll continue to improve in that space.”
Meantime, Tholstrup, who was selected by the Dees with pick 13 in the 2023 AFL Draft, will make his debut in Pickett’s place.
Before the official teams landed on Wednesday evening, Goodwin praised the powerful young forward.
“Yeah look, he’s been impressive in the last few weeks,” Goodwin said.
The Demons will face Brisbane at the MCG on Thursday night, looking to make it five wins on the trott.
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