THE SUCCESS of 2021 is well and truly behind the Demons, but that certainly doesn’t mean they are forgetting how it felt.

In fact, senior coach Simon Goodwin has used the emotion of last year’s premiership win as a tool to drive his playing group forward in 2022.

“We’ve spoken about our challenges ahead and we’ve set some lofty goals for what that may look like,” Goodwin told Melbourne Media.

“We took them pretty quickly back to the feeling of what it was like on Grand Final day, and what that feeling of success was like, and to never forget what that feeling’s about because that will help drive you for the next part of your journey.

“You can only go by what the players have produced in the summer, and they’ve come back in great physical shape.

“They’ve trained incredibly hard, and you can see that they’re really determined to do well and put their flag in the ground for a successful season again.”

Melbourne is set to become the most hunted team in the AFL in 2022, creating some pressure on the club to perform.

The first challenge arrives on Wednesday night, when the Demons host the Dogs in the season-opener at the MCG, and Goodwin knows exactly what is coming.

“We’re ready, we’re ready to embrace that expectation,” he said.

“We’ve earned the right to play in that game in front of our home supporters.

“We can’t wait to get out there and perform for them.

“And that’s our challenge: to prepare well, to embrace that expectation and to perform.”

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