MELBOURNE faces a selection dilemma for Saturday's clash with Greater Western Sydney at StarTrack Oval with Chris Dawes and Bernie Vince likely to return to the lineup that defeated Gold Coast by 26 points in round one.
"If they were both available for round one we would have picked them. The concern is, as a footy club, who do you drop?" coach Paul Roos said on Tuesday morning.
Roos rapt with Viney's shut-down job on Ablett
Dawes is set to return from suspension which carried over from round 23 last season, while Vince played for VFL affiliate, Casey Scorpions, in a practice match on Saturday, and proved he is ready to resume after overcoming off-season shoulder surgery and a hamstring complaint during the pre-season.
"That's where the headaches come up. Clearly 'Dawesy' and Bernie are in our best 22, but if you're out (of the team) and you win, it can be unfair on guys to get dropped," Roos said.
"That's going to be the debate. Is there someone we can drop to get those two boys back in?"
The Demons find themselves in unchartered territory, having won their first round one game since 2005 and, with such an even contribution against the Suns, there is no obvious candidate to make way for the established stars.
The fact that Jack Grimes, Matt Jones, Rohan Bail and Max Gawn, who were mainstays in Roos' team throughout 2014, were also overlooked for the game against the Suns, shows Melbourne's improved depth, according to its coach.
"It's hard for them to play 'seconds', but I think these guys are ready to put the club first and that's what I sensed from the weekend," Roos said.
"Everyone now wants to put the club first and if you've got players starting to do that, then those conversations become easier."
Roos said Melbourne's even contribution against the Suns proved it had taken a step forward as a club.
"We really couldn't pick a team last year with 22 form players," Roos said.
"We'll pick a team this week with 22 form players. It's new in my time, but it makes our team better."