MELBOURNE’S week may have seen COVID-19 interruptions, but GM AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson said the club has long been prepared for such situations.

“We’ve certainly aimed to keep it as normal as possible,” Richardson told Melbourne Media.

“We planned at the start of the year for [a scenario where] every person would go out of the program with COVID.”

On Wednesday, the club announced that Adem Yze was set to coach his first AFL game in Round 7, replacing Simon Goodwin who had tested positive to COVID-19.

“He’s a really experienced person," Richardson said.

Alongside Goodwin, four Melbourne players have been ruled out of the Round 7 game, with Kysaiah Pickett, Luke Jackson, Tom Sparrow and Harrison Petty sidelined under Health and Safety Protocols.

This saw the return of Jake Lever, Jack Viney, Toby Bedford and Tom McDonald to the starting 22.

Richardson explained that while it was unfortunate for the four players to miss a game, it was an opportunity for the side to display its depth and trust within one another.

“It’s disappointing for the players, but we’re in a pretty strong position that we were able to bring back two who were off with COVID, both leaders, so we’re really fortunate there.

“Toby Bedford, who has been medical sub for a long time, he gets to play now, which is brilliant.

“We really liked the impact that Toby had in Round 1 when he came on.

“From that perspective, we think we’ve got pretty good coverage.”

The Demons will be hosting the Hawks at the MCG in the club’s first AFL twilight match for 2022.

Melbourne heads into the match with a six-game winning streak, in comparison to Hawthorn’s three wins and three losses. Despite this, the home side is expecting a certain challenge on Saturday.

“They’ve been really impressive,” Richardson said.

“We know that their best footy, if they can get things on their terms, is going to be really hard to beat.

“They’re a worthy opponent and we’re going to have to be at our best to get the job done.”