MELBOURNE’S win over reigning premiers Adelaide has kickstarted its preparations for its upcoming preliminary final.

After a lacklustre start to the qualifying final that saw them trail by 18 points at the opening break, the Demons turned the game around and took control of the contest, ultimately defeating the Crows by 21 points last Friday night.

Senior coach Mick Stinear said the team’s ability to adjust to the pressure and action changes mid-game was a promising sign ahead of their next match. 

“To grind out the whole game and not give them an opportunity to come back in…[I was] really pleased with the group’s effort,” Stinear said.

“It was a tough physical game and I think we take a lot out of it from after quarter time.

“That quarter time lesson will be a good one and will come in handy in the coming weeks.”

The win saw the Demons rewarded with a mid-finals bye, giving them an extra week of preparation in the lead up to their preliminary final.

The extra week is valued time that Stinear said the group is taking head on, ready to use to their advantage.  

“[We] want to make sure we get it right,” Stinear said.

“It’s an opportunity rest and recover, but we’ll definitely have a good, strong hit-out.

“We don’t want to use it as just a week off to put the feet up but a week off playing as an opportunity to get better and put ourselves in an even stronger position to attack the prelim.

“You really want to use that as an advantage against the opposition and come ready to go.

“[So] we’ll be ready to go with our contest game right from the start.”