MELBOURNE is set for a new challenge in Round 3, coming up against a young Bombers line up which is looking for their first win of the season.

Despite falling to the Lions by 22 points last Saturday, Essendon showed glimpses of its 2021 form, registering more scoring shots for the match on the back of a dominant opening term.

And the Demons’ forward coach, Greg Stafford, knows exactly what to expect come Friday night.

“No doubt they’re a dangerous side,” Stafford told Melbourne Media.

“They have no problem putting points on when they get their game going.

“It’s up to us to restrict that, stop that and at the same time get our game going.”

Melbourne has manufactured winning scores in the opening two rounds, with 14 goals against the Dogs and 12 against the Suns, but there’s always room for improvement.

“Not every week is depended purely on goals kicked,” Stafford said.

“Our level of finish early in the game last week was terrific … which allowed us to have some scoreboard superiority without really perhaps deserving it necessarily with the way we were playing.

“But like our game in general, there’s heaps to work on and we’ll continue to do that.”

The Dees will be looking for their third win from as many outings when they return home to the MCG, but they’ll be tested physically after returning from a trip to Gold Coast last weekend.

“We had the luxury of some time between games previously and the six-day break was certainly a rude shock to me,” Stafford said.

“But the players are in good shape – we’ve got wonderful strength and conditioning staff that look after our players.”

To hear more from Stafford in the lead up to the game, watch the full interview above.