BELIEVE it or not, it's not a dare.

Of the many topics of debate that emerged from round one this year, one of the more trivial was whether or not Lynden Dunn was sporting a moustache as part of a challenge from a teammate.

But the Melbourne forward says he is sporting the Weary Dunlop look through no one's urgings but his own.

"I carried it on from Movember and it hasn't fallen off yet so I'm just going with it while it lasts. I cop a fair bit from everyone about it. It's water off a duck's back, I've just got to move on with it and it's a bit of fun," Dunn told melbournefc.com.au.

"I shaved it off last year and looked at myself in the mirror after I did it and thought it looked a bit strange. I grew it straight back and I'm waiting for the handlebars to come through but I haven't got them going yet."

Moustache or not, Dunn made a big impression in the season opener as one of Melbourne's better players in the draw with the Sydney Swans, kicking 2.4 as the main focal point in attack.

"It would have been nice to kick a bit straighter. I had six shots at goal which is a good way to start the season and I can take that confidence into the rest of the year," he said.

"I see myself as one of the leaders of the forward line. I'm one of the older players too so I can set the tone and lead the way for the younger boys as well."

While it might seem ridiculous for a 23-year-old to be considered a veteran, Dunn is a senior statesman compared to most of the Demon forward line. And he says he has relished his unofficial leadership role.

"I think we've only got 11 blokes on our list left over from 2007 so the list has changed and it changes quickly. I enjoy working with the younger group, so hopefully we can hold this group for many years to come and build something special."

That something special is a finals appearance, which the Demons haven't had since 2006.

The club is generally coy when it comes to finals talk but Dunn says it's the elephant in the room.

"We finished on the bottom in the last couple of years and last year we finished 12th. So people are going to start expecting things. We've had high draft picks and had the same group for a little while now and expectations are getting bigger. I think that's good to feed off that and not hide from that. You can't hide from expectations," he said.

"If we can make the finals this year it's great, if not we haven't said we have to make the finals but we understand the public perception is we've really got to start to play well in most weeks now and that's what we're looking to do as a group."

And if the Demons do land in the top eight, can we expect to see that unfashionable growth adorning Dunn's upper lip?

"I don't know about having it all season, we'll wait and see," he laughed.

"If I keep playing good footy with it I might keep it."

Lynden Dunn is a $330,100 midfielder/forward in the Toyota AFL Dream Team competition