Preview: Melbourne v Richmond

VENUE & TIME: MCG, Sunday 2 August, 1.10pm (AEST)
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 176: Melbourne 76, Richmond 98, Drawn 2
LAST TIME: Melbourne 14.16 (100) d Richmond 13.14 (92) at MCG, Round 4, 2009.

WALKING WOUNDED: The Tigers are expected to regain veteran spearhead Matthew Richardson, who has been out since tearing his hamstring tendon in Round 6, but he is no certainty to walk straight back into the team and instead could return via Coburg in the VFL. Skipper Chris Newman and defender Jarrod Silvester are both tipped to play despite pulling up with knee soreness last week while defender Kelvin Moore could return from a calf strain. The Demons have a long injury list with Brad Green (wrist), Daniel Bell (shoulder) and Colin Garland (foot) gone for the year while Mark Jamar (quad) remains sidelined although Jack Grimes and Brock McLean (knee) could return this week.

FORM: The Tigers are coming off a fantastic win over eighth-placed Essendon at the MCG and have now won two and drawn one of six games since Jade Rawlings took over as caretaker coach following the axing of Terry Wallace. With four wins and a draw for the season, the Tigers are a game and a half and four spots ahead of the bottom-placed Demons on the ladder. Melbourne has won just three games all year but its form has been good in the last month with successive wins over West Coast and Port before competitive losses against Geelong and last week against Sydney in Canberra.

WHO'S HOT: Brad Miller is one Melbourne player that is playing for his future right now but the strong-marking forward made the most of his recall last week against the Swans in Canberra. Miller dominated across half-forward in taking 10 marks but unfortunately let himself down with poor kicking for goal when he could manage only 1.3. But it was a welcome return to form for Miller, who took 10 marks and booted three goals when the Dees upset Richmond earlier this year. For Richmond, young key forward Jack Riewoldt produced the best performance of his short career last week when he booted six goals in a match-winning display against Essendon. Riewoldt has now kicked 27 goals in 15 games this year and is averaging an impressive seven marks per game as a key forward.

WE THINK: It was the first meeting between these teams earlier this year that all but sealed Terry Wallace's fate when the Demons scored an upset win and condemned the Tigers to four straight losses to start the season. It ensured Wallace would not see out his five-year contract. But the Tigers have been revitalised under Rawlings since Wallace's departure in Round 11 and last week showed their first genuine signs of promise for the future in beating a much-improved Essendon at the MCG. And that form should be good enough to account for a Melbourne side that while showing improved form in the past month still has the worst list in the AFL and is missing several key players due to injury. Richmond by 30 points.