DUMPED defensive playmaker Jayden Hunt is a victim of his own indifferent form and a strong Melbourne playing list, says coach Simon Goodwin.  

Hunt was a surprise omission from the Demons side to play North Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday afternoon, and while Goodwin wouldn't give specifics on why the 23-year-old finds himself in the VFL, he said Hunt knew exactly why he was on the outer.  

Hunt has played 43 games since debuting in round four, 2016, and played every game for the Demons last season.  

"Jayden is someone we value incredibly highly and he certainly brings something to the team we love ... he probably hasn't been at his best yet (this year), but we don't think it's that far away," Goodwin said on Friday morning.  

"It's tight for selection and we were keen to put another tall defender in Sam Frost into the team, so that made it a little bit more tighter and Jayden was the unlucky one this week.  

"He took (the demotion) fantastically well and he knows he's got a few things he needs to continually work on and he knows he's not that far away as well.  

"Over the four-week period of the JLT series, he's been a little bit inconsistent, but at the same time we think he's not too far away (from returning to the senior side)."  

Goodwin played down the theory Frost was brought into the team to allow struggling star recruit Jake Lever to play his more favoured third-tall role against a Kangaroo attack featuring the in-form Ben Brown and Jarrad Waite.    

"It's probably not about Jake, it's more about North Melbourne because they've got some quality talls in Jarrad Waite and Ben Brown who have been really significant players when we've played them in the past," Goodwin said.    

"We think Sam Frost is in some terrific form and we've brought him into the team."    

Versatile big man Cam Pedersen was the other player dropped, while speedy forward Dean Kent was also recalled.    

Midfielder Angus Brayshaw's absence is also notable, with the former No.3 draft pick playing in the VFL for the first two weeks of the season.    

The 22-year-old, who was a standout for Casey last week, has had his battles with concussion issues over the past few seasons, but Goodwin said he wasn't far away from a recall.    

"(Angus is) getting closer and he's a really important player to us," Goodwin said.    

"He hasn't played a heap of footy over an 18-month period, so when he's ready to go we'll find a way to get him into our team.    

"He's really clear on what he needs to do, what he needs to provide in terms of his preparation and how he goes about his footy."    

If Melbourne can salute on Saturday, it will end an amazing seventeen-straight losing streak against North Melbourne that stretches back to 2006.    

"Seventeen (games) is a long time, so we want to see that change, we want to change the narrative of that, and that provides opportunity for us this week," Goodwin said.