Athletic defender David Gourdis has been rewarded for his good form at VFL level with Coburg by being selected in the Richmond side that will take on Melbourne in Saturday’s big Round 14 match at the MCG.

Gourdis was best afield in Coburg’s stunning upset win against the Casey Scorpions last weekend, restricting former league star spearhead Brendan Fevola to just one goal and providing plenty out of rebound out of the backline.

This will be Gourdis’ first AFL game for 2011 and his fourth overall.  He debuted for Richmond in Round 20 last year and played the last three games of the season in the AFL.

First-year player, Jake Batchelor, also returns to the Richmond team for the clash with the Demons after missing last Saturday night’s victory over Brisbane because of general soreness.

Jake King is out due to a one-match suspension, while Jayden Post has been omitted.