After Richmond spent the best part of two hours spreading manure around the MCG, something had to grow - and it may be the first seeds of Melbourne's AFL revival.

The Demons posted just their fourth win in two years at Richmond's expense, plunging the Tigers further into crisis with a hard-fought eight-point victory.

Without three of their senior players going into the match and losing arguably their most influential player - forward Brad Green with a suspected broken jaw in the first quarter - Melbourne somehow lifted for a 14.16 (100) to 13.14 (92) triumph.

While much will be sheeted home to the Tigers' on-field incompetence, the Demons' young brigade stepped up with a red-hot second quarter, then hung on for dear life in the second half to taste a rare victory.

Melbourne poured on eight goals to three in the second term as much-maligned midfielder Colin Sylvia finally showed what he is capable of as the Dees built a 31-point halftime lead which became their victory platform.

Richmond fought back to within nine points with a Luke McGuane goal with 30 seconds left, but it was all too little too late and they never seriously looked like overhauling the Demons.

Demons forward Brad Miller kicked three goals to spearhead his side, while busy midfielders Aaron Davey (25 possessions), Cameron Bruce (24) and Sylvia (20) also were pivotal.

It is the first time the Demons have clambered away of the AFL cellar under coach Dean Bailey - with winless Richmond and Fremantle now four points adrift of Melbourne.

But Bailey, aware his club remains deep in a rebuilding phase, was refusing to get carried away.

"It'll give the boys a bit of confidence. The ideal situation is the work they put in, they've got a bit of a reward today," Bailey said.

"The reward was winning the game at the end, and that's important for the players.

"We won't get distracted about where we're at. We've won one game, we're still developing players and we're still building a list.

"This just adds a bit of confidence."

The Demons' win came at a cost, with Green facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines after being taken to hospital following a sickening but accidental first quarter head clash with Richmond youngster Alex Rance.

Green was left bleeding heavily from the mouth and was expected to have surgery on Sunday night to repair his jaw.

Only veterans Joel Bowden and Matthew Richardson produced anything worthwhile for the Tigers.

Bowden managed a game-high 44 disposals running loose in defence, while Richardson booted four goals.

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