MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin has backed a duo of young defenders to hold down the fort in the absence of long-time pairing Jake Lever and Steven May.

The emergence of the 23-year-old Daniel Turner and strong VFL form of 22-year-old Blake Howes have the Demons senior coach excited for the future of his back six.

May and Lever have combined for just over 20 games between them in 2025 with both battling a series of injuries throughout the campaign.

Lever is currently sidelined with agitation to the ankle which underwent surgery in April, while May is out with concussion and facing a lengthy suspension.

Melbourne is appealing May's three match ban for rough conduct at the AFL Tribunal next week.

May Day at the Tribunal

"Obviously, we think we've got a pretty strong case," Goodwin said.

"We spent a fair bit of time yesterday with the lawyers and we went through all the case and made sure that we've got a clear right to appeal first and foremost.

"Then it's really over to the lawyers. We think he had a a play on the ball and it was a football incident. That's ultimately from my perspective the argument that we’ll go with.

"Steven was devastated and shattered. Right from the outset when he first came to the bench, he was a little bit confused and thought he'd done the right thing and gone at the footy."

May's Concussion Recovery

"He seems in good spirits, and he's obviously stepping through his protocols in the right manner," Goodwin said.

"He's recovered well. He probably had a bit of a headache post the tribunal hearing the other night but he's recovering well." 

Changes in the Back Six

"They're obviously two really important players (May and Lever) and leaders of our footy club but Daniel Turner’s continuing to step up," Goodwin said.

"Blake Howes has been playing some outstanding footy in the VFL. He's been crying out for an opportunity and he's ready to play some really strong AFL footy.

"We're excited to get those guys in together.

"Good old Tommy McDonald continues to do what Tommy is doing so we're really comfortable with how our backline looks."

Returning to the Top

"We just need to add to our list high quality players, as many as we can get in through trade through the draft, through whatever mechanism we can," Goodwin said.

"We need to continue to add especially through the age bracket of 24 to 30. There's no question that we've been pretty strategic and gone to the draft the last three or four years in a pretty aggressive manner.

"We haven't really done a lot of trading in recent times, but we want to add to our list and continue to evolve and get better and change.

"All our mature age players are still got three, four or five years in front of them. We've also gone to the draft in the last three or four years.

"We think right now we've got a group that can transition quite quickly. We're in a hurry to do that."