MELBOURNE has ditched its three-tall attack after just one game, dropping experienced forward Tom McDonald in the process.

NO SORER THAN USUAL Max Gawn declares himself fit to play

McDonald returned from a one-game absence with an eye injury against Port Adelaide, but managed only seven goalless disposals in the club's worst performance of 2020.

On the season – removing the Gold Coast game when he departed in the first quarter because of injury – the 27-year-old is averaging fewer than nine possessions and has kicked four goals in five games.

Simon Goodwin's Demons will go with Sam Weideman and last year's No.3 draft pick Luke Jackson against Adelaide on Wednesday night, alongside medium-sized target Bayley Fritsch.

Aaron vandenBerg will return after missing the past two games following cheekbone surgery, while captain Max Gawn is fit to play after having a scan on a soft-tissue complaint on Monday.

However, exciting first-year forward Kozzy Pickett (ankle) will miss the Crows game on Wednesday night and hope to be fit to face North Melbourne on Sunday.

"We won't go with (three tall forwards) again, not for the short-term, anyway, not for this week, so Tom won't play. We'll go with the two talls and put some guys around them," Goodwin said.

THE LADDER Where is your team sitting?

"We functioned really well for the three weeks prior, but it just doesn't look like it was going to function in the right manner.

"It was a slightly dewy night, but they're the sort of games we're playing in at the moment, all through this time of the year, and obviously a lot of night games, so we'll sit with the two talls and go from there."

McDonald's form woes go back as far as last year when he booted only three goals in the opening seven rounds, following his 53-goal season in 2018.

He showed signs of emerging from that slump before his season-ending knee injury late in 2019. Goodwin said McDonald would remain up forward and wouldn't be swung into defence.

"Tom had one game before he got injured where he kicked six goals against Carlton, but there's been a fair few dry spells in between that time," Goodwin said.

"We're pretty clear with Tom how we want him to play. We need him to play like a big man, compete both aerially and at ground level, and we're going to keep working with him.

"He's an important player to us, he's an experienced player, but I think Tom would be disappointed with his output in recent times and we need to get him to his best."

'UNACCEPTABLE' Goodwin slams bad loss

Goodwin reaffirmed his strong post-match comments after the 51-point thrashing from the Power that the performance was "unacceptable".

He also embraced club president Glen Bartlett's scathing assessment of the effort, which he said resembled what was dished up last year and "brought up a lot of emotion".

"We're going to see games through this period where clubs have poor performances, but I'm not going to sit here and make excuses for our footy club," Goodwin said.

"For too long, there have been too many excuses. Some of it is reality and some of them are excuses – and right now the Melbourne footy club needs reality.

"We need to be better, we need to play better, we need to welcome that pressure, but I'll keep saying it – this season is alive."

Goodwin, who is contracted through the 2022 season, said he spoke "at length" with Bartlett since his public reaction to the Port Adelaide loss and had the president's full support.

"I was employed to lead this footy club, with a clear strategy to lead us to our next premiership," he said.

"I'm still very confident that we're going to be able to do that, and if that puts pressure on me, those comments, then I have to accept that.

"I take responsibility for our performance, and I know where we're at … and I just want to be at my best, I want to thrive in this environment and I want to thrive under this pressure."