MELBOURNE will return home to Casey Fields on Sunday, adding two players to its squad ahead of the Round 4 clash with North Melbourne.
The Demons could be fielding an unchanged side for a second consecutive week which senior coach Mick Stinear sees as a very positive sign.
“I think it’s pretty rare in this competition, so it’s good,” he told Melbourne Media.
“It just means the girls can keep working and improving their own games and continue to evolve as a team, so it’s a good position to be in.”
Stinear is pleased with how his side is tracking after a convincing 39-point win against the Lions last Sunday.
“I think we’ve improved every week which has been good,” he said.
The Demons are coming off back-to-back victories but will need to be at their best to knock over the ladder-leading Kangaroos.
“North are off to a ripper start, 3-0 and playing good footy,” Stinear said.
“We’ll try to take away their strengths while focusing on our game – that will be our focus.”
The Kangaroos are a new addition to the AFLW competition in 2019, but this weekend’s game won’t be the first meeting between the two sides.
“The last time we played North it was a practice match before the season started,” Stinear said.
“We took plenty of learnings out of that both individually and as a team.
“This week will be a good challenge and one the girls are certainly ready for.”
Melbourne will enjoy the home ground advantage of Casey Fields this weekend, despite dropping its opening game of the season against the Dockers at the venue.
“The girls have trained there over summer and it looks like being perfect conditions,” Stinear said.
“Obviously we’re keen to get our first win down at Casey and the girls are looking forward to it.”
Brooke Patterson and Jordann Hickey have been added to the extended interchange with the final 21 to be named at 4pm on Friday.