MELBOURNE midfielder Cameron Bruce believes the Demons will be at an advantage this weekend when they face Hawthorn, having already played the unbeaten side this home-and-away season.
The Demons will be one of six clubs to face an opposition for the second time this weekend, in the new-look AFL fixture that doesn't dictate all sides play each other once before facing off again.
Having lost to the Hawks in round one this year by 104 points, Bruce believes the Demons will enter the match with an idea of how the top-of-the-table side will attempt to once again shut them out of the game.
"We're lucky enough to have played them so it's pretty fresh in our minds as to the way they play," he said, on Monday.
"They've got some superstar players, their forward line is jelling and they're kicking some big scores.
"Our young guys had some experience against some good forwards yesterday, and hopefully Jared Rivers will come back in and it will add some experience and we'll be able to stop their supply through the midfield."
While he admitted it will be "a bit weird" to meet a side just over two months after initially going head to head, he believes the Demons will ultimately benefit from playing contender sides like Hawthorn during their rebuilding period.
"I suppose if we're to improve, it's good to come up against the better sides and know what you're up against," he said.
"Looking at it from the weekend, we can learn so much from the way the Crows play, and we can learn so much from the way Hawthorn and Geelong play.
"For us to get better, that's what we've got to do."
The Demons' 76-point loss to Adelaide on Sunday meant the club has now faced the top four in its entirety, with Bruce claiming there isn't much separating each side.
"They're all great sides and playing consistent and reliable footy," he said, of Geelong, Hawthorn, Adelaide and the Bulldogs.”
Bruce said he didn't expect morale to drop around the club this week, despite the Crows handing the players their seventh season defeat while the prospect of facing an unbeaten side looms large.
"The team has been really good in terms of keeping the spirit and enthusiasm up within the group," he said.
"Coming into the club, you wouldn't realise the position we're in on the ladder or the performances we've been putting in place.
"The guys have been really upbeat and are confident of improving. Regardless of who we play, the atmosphere around the club isn't down; we're flat that we aren't getting the results that we want, but we're definitely eager and enthusiastic about improving our individual form and the team's form."
Bruce, who is a member of the club's leadership group, also called for consistency across the board from the playing group, after a spate of up and down performances from both the senior and younger members of the list.
He didn't leave himself outside the critique and said he "definitely needs to improve" after being handed a variety of responsibilities this season.
"I've played different roles throughout the year, and I've done some defensive jobs and I've been released and found a bit of the ball, but my output can definitely improve," he said.
"When we can get the mix consistently across the board playing well, that's when we'll improve and get the results we're looking for."
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs of the AFL.
