As one veteran departs, another could return for Melbourne on Sunday against Hawthorn at the MCG with veteran forward Adem Yze a strong contender to play just his second game of the 2008 season.
Melbourne coach Dean Bailey hinted on Tuesday he would turn to experience for this week's daunting re-match against the unbeaten Hawks - in the wake of skipper David Neitz' retirement on Monday.
Neitz, the Demons' games and goals record holder, will be given a pre-match lap of honour in a game in which Bailey will get the chance to measure his side's progress since round one when they copped a 104-point hiding from the Hawks.
But with Neitz now gone for good, it could mean a place in attack for 30-year-old Yze - who is third on the Demons' all-time games list with 266 matches behind only Neitz (306) and Robert Flower (272).
But Yze has been on the outer since being dropped after that round one mauling at the hands of the Hawks.
However Bailey hinted at a recall for Yze this week now that he has recovered from an Achilles injury.
"Adem Yze has been playing well (for Sandringham in the VFL)," Bailey said on Tuesday.
"His form has been good the last few weeks and while he missed a game last week (through injury), his form up until then had been good."
Bailey said fellow experienced players in Matthew Whelan and Ben Holland were also in line for a recall this week along with youngster Chris Johnson.
The Demons' coach has challenged his players to perform far better against the Hawks the second time around than they did in their abysmal first round showing - when they managed just one goal in the first half.
"I don't know whether this has happened before where two teams play each other twice so early in the season," he said of the Hawks and Demons' second meeting in the first nine rounds of 2008.
"It gives us a great chance to play against arguably the best team in the competition at the moment again and that doesn’t faze us and it doesn't faze me."
"You should try to play the best teams in the comp as often as you can and it will give us a better indication as to whether we have learned anything since the first time we played them."
"But we have got to be more competitive against them this time so the guys have got a lot to prove this weekend."