A scorching halftime blast from coach Neale Daniher spurred Melbourne to a crucial comeback victory over the Kangaroos which lifted it into the AFL top four.

Skipper David Neitz booted eight goals, and half-forward Aaron Davey kicked four in his first game back from injury, as the Demons won 20.12 (132) to 12.10 (82) at the MCG.

They kicked 14.8 to 3.4 in the second half, coming back from 20 points down at the main break, after Daniher's old-fashioned spray.

Neitz said the coach questioned the players' desire to be involved in the finals in his "fire and brimstone" speech.

"It was a big moment for our group in where we were going to be at," Neitz said.

"I thought it was a real moment for us where we had to stand up and be counted and the boys did."

Daniher described the first half as a "shambles" and said it was the team's state of mind which needed to change, as they were playing safe, reactive football.

"We played some terrific footy in the second half, which will give us some confidence and some strong reinforcement in direction of the way we need to play," Daniher said.

It might eventually be seen as the moment which prevented another Melbourne season fizzling from great promise into mediocrity.

In 2004, the Demons were in top place after round 18, then lost five straight games to exit on the first weekend of the finals.

Last year, they were second at the mid-season break, only to go on a seven-match losing streak late in the year and again get eliminated in the opening finals round.

At halftime, it looked like the Demons might be headed down the same path.

A loss to the Kangaroos would have given them four defeats in five matches and sent them tumbling to seventh.

Instead, Melbourne rallied in superb style.

However, the Demons' hold on their top four spot remains tenuous, with tough games against Geelong at Skilled Stadium and Adelaide at AAMI Stadium to come, and four teams perched one win behind them.

The victory did not come without a cost, with Neitz (hip), Matthew Bate (jarred knee) and Jared Rivers (jarred knee) all injured in the final quarter.

But Daniher said while the injured players would be treated cautiously this close to the finals, the three players would miss a maximum of one game.

West Coast took over top spot from Adelaide by predictably thrashing Brisbane 16.18 (114) to 7.10 (52) at the Gabba on Sunday.

The Crows had held top spot since round 12, but now trail the Eagles by one win, after their loss to the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, their third loss in four matches.

Giant West Coast forward Quinten Lynch kicked eight goals, to give him 47 for the season so far, including 26 in the past seven rounds.

It is a timely run of form, given the Eagles dropped him for the preliminary final and grand final last season, after he had played every previous match.

Fremantle is in fourth spot, after Saturday night's big win over St Kilda, with Sydney dropping to fifth after losing to Geelong at Skilled Stadium on Saturday.

In Sunday's other match, Richmond belted Carlton 21.14 (140) to 14.11 (95) at Telstra Dome, its second big win in two weeks, after thrashing Brisbane last round.

The Blues' loss kept them on the bottom of the ladder, seemingly headed for a second successive wooden spoon.

In other results this round, sixth-placed Collingwood stayed in the hunt for a top four berth with its tight win over Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Friday night.

And Hawthorn beat Essendon at Telstra Dome on Saturday night, the Hawks' second win in two matches, after they beat the Blues last round.

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