Melbourne will be treating Thursday night’s AFL blockbuster against Geelong like an interstate trip as they look to notch a rare win at GMHBA Stadium.
The Demons were comfortably beaten in Geelong last year as the Cats continued their charge towards claiming the 2022 premiership.
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Melbourne did pull off a famous win at Kardinia Park in 2021 to seal the minor premiership in the final round of the season, albeit without any of the Cats supporters due to COVID-19 restrictions.
But their record at the venue has been atrocious, with just five wins from their past 36 trips down the highway.
To adjust to the unique dimensions of the ground, Melbourne will the unusual step of spending the night in Geelong on Wednesday and have a training session at GMHBA Stadium.
“We’re moving our program down there (to Geelong) on Wednesday and treat it like a game away from home, spend the night in a hotel and train down there and prepare ourselves as best we can,” Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said.
“We’ve played down there a lot in the last four or five years; we’ve had some success, but we’ve also had some pretty average performances
“We want to get used to the environment, want to set it up and prepare as best we can and this is one of those ways that we can do it.
“Just like every other way game, whether it’s Adelaide Oval or Optus Stadium, you always get to train at that ground.”
Meanwhile, star midfielder Clayton Oliver is no certainty to return after spending almost a week in hospital.
A nasty infected blister on his foot meant Oliver missed the Demons’ impressive King’s Birthday win over Collingwood.
The four-time Demons best-and-fairest winner had already sat out the previous two matches against Fremantle and Carlton due to a hamstring injury.
Goodwin said he was hopeful Oliver and versatile tall Harrison Petty would be available to return for Thursday night’s blockbuster in Geelong.
“We need to make sure they train well (on Monday) and also again on Wednesday,” Goodwin said.
“We’re hopeful, but we’re certainly not declaring them at this point.
“Obviously spending five days in hospital isn’t ideal so making sure that he’s (Oliver) got the load required, is training to the level and he’s ready to go.”
Petty has been out since injuring his foot in the Demons’ round-nine win against Hawthorn.
“It is about performance and making sure that they’re ready to perform so we won’t take any risks with any players,” Goodwin said.
– With AAP