COACH Simon Goodwin says a versatile forward line is part of his side’s plans for the rest of the season.

Speaking post-match after Melbourne’s 37-point win over North Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday, Goodwin said the ability to switch Jesse Hogan, Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca through the forward line and midfield was part of the club’s strategy.

“It’s something that we’ve been working on,” he said.

“It was great to see [Oliver] get some reward [with two goals] late in the game.”

Goodwin said he was also pleased with his team’s mix down back, praising Sam Frost, who was recalled for the clash against the Roos.

“I thought Sam Frost came in and did a fantastic job,” he said.

“Along with Oscar McDonald, I thought he fought on really well in some one-on-ones against [Ben] Brown, and Jake’s (Lever) strength is his ability to come off his man and impact the ball aerially.

“I think in the last three weeks we’re starting to see more of that as the games have gone on, but it’s something that we know he can bring to our team. I think we need to give [Lever] six to eight weeks to really find his feet and find the right chemistry with our back six. He was edging to his best today.”

Overall, Goowin said there was genuine confidence in the team, although it was fully aware it had more to achieve. 

“I think there is a belief building in the footy team, but they still understand there is still a lot of work to be done,” he said.

“We’ve still got a lot of improvement areas to keep chipping away at and I think that’s the exciting thing.

“They certainly understand the brand of footy we want to play, and how exciting they can be, but they still know there is lots of room for improvement to become the team that we want to become.

“That might come as the year goes on, but we’ve got to keep focusing on what’s ahead of us, which is next week.”