MELBOURNE says the signs are promising from its pre-season losses, but the Demons paid in sweat for their latest NAB Challenge performance.

After going down by 30 points to the Western Bulldogs in Bendigo on Friday night - their third loss in as many pre-season games - coach Dean Bailey ordered the hills session for 7am on Sunday.

Skipper David Neitz, who played his first game for the year, said it was not so much the result as the way it occurred that was disappointing.

"We gave away nine free kicks that resulted in goals, so it was unacceptable and undisciplined, so to the hills we went," Neitz said at the club's family day on Sunday.

"To give away nine goals from free kicks you're never going to win a game of footy.

Friday night's result came after the Demons were hammered by Geelong by 71 points, then downed by Richmond by 35 points in their previous two matches under new coach Dean Bailey.

Neitz said the losses themselves were not much of a concern, with the Demons trying out a lot of new players, as well as gradually adapting to Bailey's game plan.

"Obviously you'd rather win than lose, but on the weekend we had some really good patches of play that were really quite encouraging," he said.

"There were some aspects of that game that sitting back at full-forward, it looked pretty exciting."

Importantly, the 33-year-old, who was hampered by a nagging knee injury last year, said his own fitness was excellent heading towards the season proper.

"Obviously as the years get on your body changes and you have different training styles to combat the ageing body and things," he said.

"But from a fitness point of view I feel really good, from a strength point of view I'm in really good shape, roll on round one."

Meanwhile, Bailey said he had high hopes for some of the younger players on the Demons' list, citing new draftees Cale Morton and Addam Maric, and rookies Austin Wonaeamirri and Shane Valenti, as players who had shown promise over the pre-season.

"There's no reason why a 19-year-old player who's played six games can't be a very good player for the Melbourne Football Club this year," Bailey told Demons supporters.

"There's no reason why he can't, as long as you train him well, you get him fit and he does the things that make the Melbourne Football Club proud and also does things that make us win.

"... Throw them a challenge, encourage them and you'd be surprised what they can deliver and that's why anything is possible and hopefully everything that we all want can be ours this year."