THERE’S no better way to start a season than defeating the reigning premiers.

Which is exactly what Melbourne achieved in its Round 1 clash on Friday night.

Travelling to ACH Group Stadium in Glenelg, the Demons were preparing for the ultimate task – facing the team they had fallen to just four months prior in the seasons six grand final.

With a quick turnaround, a strong pre-season under their belt and the belief they could reign supreme, the Dees triumphed over the Crows in an impressive 18-point win.

“I think tonight, the four points was important in such a short and concise season,” Stinear told media post-match.

“But then I think for the players to get that belief to be able play against the best and come away with a win…that will be quite significant for our group.

“We’ll keep building from here.”

The Crows have been one of the best contest sides in the competition since its inception, which meant the Demons’ midfield had the challenge of matching the likes of league-leaders Anne Hatchard and Eb Marinoff.

The Adelaide stars came out firing in the first half, but it was Melbourne’s inside-mids that stood up in the backend of the match, the likes of Olivia Purcell (24 disposals) and Eliza West (25 disposals) displaying their innate competitiveness.

“Olivia Purcell - coming off the back of an ACL last season - I thought she did a really good job [then], but she’s had another couple of months of preparation, and she’s been able to play a lot more minutes in there,” Stinear said.

“She’s really strong, clean and a good competitor.

“Eliza West - she continues to grow, the more footy she plays, the more work she gets into her fundamentals. They’re two that have been great additions to our midfield, and it allows us to play [Lily] Mithen and [Karen] Paxman along the wing more.”

Stinear praised his team for their determination in the lead up to the match and the mindset developed throughout the pre-season. 

“There’s been a genuine purpose about the team from when the pre-season started," Stinear said. 

“The group is really level-headed and mature; they wanted to come here and perform well tonight.

“They had that right balance of relaxed and determined and right from the first bounce, it was on, it was a physical game.”

Hear more from Stinear post-match below.