Fresh from completing one seemingly impossible task, Melbourne co-captain Nathan Jones is bracing himself for another - curbing Richmond champion Dustin Martin.
The Demons suffered a crushing loss to Hawthorn at the weekend but in one of the few positives Jones proved it is actually possible to tag Tom Mitchell; at least to some extent.
The prolific Hawks midfielder averaged 45 touches over the first three games, but was limited to 24 by Jones although he did still manage an impressive 14 clearances.
Jones, who credited his teammates for their help against Mitchell, can win plenty of the ball himself but has played tagging roles on and off throughout his career.
He looms as a good fit to take on Martin or another key midfield cog in Tigers skipper Trent Cotchin in the Anzac Day eve clash at the MCG.
"I'd be excited about either challenge really," Jones said.
"When Goodi (coach Simon Goodwin) came to me last week about Mitch I was pretty keen to have a crack at that.
"But I think we broke down quite (badly) in that (midfield) area on the weekend, which was really disappointing.
"We probably backed ourselves in and got shown up by the Hawks around the footy.
"Obviously we're coming up against that again in Richmond, who have a strong midfield group."
The Demons were a popular tip to be big improvers this season but find themselves in 12th spot with a 2-2 record.
The backlash against Melbourne was swift and savage after Sunday's 67-point capitulation to the Hawthorn.
Having held a 12-point lead at quarter-time, the Demons kicked just one of the 16 remaining goals of the game.
"That should spike a reaction," Jones said.
"From the performance that we put out at the weekend, there's question marks around our fundamentals and our effort which should sting the playing group.
"And I've got no doubt it has.
"We want a response after such a disappointing display on the weekend; there's no doubt about that."
