Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin is welcoming the return of livewire Kysiah Pickett for what he insists will be a tough contest against Richmond on ANZAC Day eve.
Pickett is due to slot back into the senior side after missing the Dees round match round five match against the Lions with his one-match ban for a high bump on Adelaide's Jake Soligo during Gather Round upheld at the AFL Tribunal.
Despite it being his third suspension for similar indiscretions in just over 12 months, Goodwin stood by his player and the "high pressure, high intensity" play he brings into the side.
Speaking to media ahead of their game on Wednesday night, Goodwin reiterated the influence of Pickett to his side's fortunes.
"He's pretty important isn't he. It's great to have him back...obviously he's an important player to us and we missed him against Brisbane," he said.
The Dees fell to their second loss of the season a fortnight ago in a rare win for the Lions at the MCG.
Coming off the bye, Goodwin said Pickett will be a strong inclusion for a match Melbourne are not taking lightly.
"He brings new energy to our forward half, he hits the scoreboard, he brings a different dynamic to our midfield. He's really important to getting back into our team," he said.
Despite their struggles to start 2024, Goodwin said the Tigers have shown glimpses of their ability to match it with the competitions best.
Their sole win for the year came in a nailbiter over the second-placed Swans on Easter Sunday, and had pushed contenders Port and Carlton during games before succumbing to a spirited West Coast at the weekend.
Goodwin faces former assistant and new Tigers senior coach Adam Yze for their first match up in the upcoming contest.
"I think he (Yze) would know us very well and we know him very well, so I don't think there's an advantage either way, other than to say we have enormous respect for Adam...we've always respected what he does," he said.
"We know when you watch Richmond play you know one thing, they're gonna bring effort, they're gonna bring intensity and they're gonna play the right way.
"And you can see that even in their losses so far they've challenged a lot of teams and they've beaten some teams at the top of the ladder. So we're going to be right on our game."
