COACH Paul Roos says his team is firmly focused on taking another step in its development against Port Adelaide at TIO Traeger Park Oval this Saturday – rather than attempting to cause a boil over against the top of the ladder side.
Roos said it was imperative that Melbourne concentrated on what it needed to do – and not get caught up in talk of an upset against the red-hot Power.
“We know it’s going to be hard. They’re a really good side. They’re on top of the ladder, so we’ve just got to concentrate on what we’re doing and try and continue to improve on a weekly basis,” he said.
“We know we’re playing a really, really good side, so we’ll have to get focused and get ready for the game and play better than we have this year – and that’s our challenge every week.”
Roos said his team simply had a game plan to follow against the Power and the rest would take care of itself.
“We’ll concentrate on trying to play a game style that we think eventually is going to win premierships for the team,” he said.
“You try to emulate Hawthorn, Sydney and Geelong and teams like that, so that’s what you try and do, but they do it better, because they’ve got more talent.
“The challenge for us is to continually do it well and get better every week.”
Still, Roos said there was no fear against Port Adelaide, highlighting Melbourne’s stunning win over Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in round seven as an example of taking the challenges head on.
“Winning in Adelaide against Adelaide was a huge win, so it gives everyone confidence and we know where we’re at, and we know we’ve got a long way to go to get to where the best teams in the competition are,” he said.
“So tomorrow (Saturday) presents a huge challenge for us.”
Roos said the Demons were relishing playing another match in the Northern Territory, as the club continues to build close ties with the Top End and Central Australia.
“The conditions are fantastic [in Alice Springs]. We came up here earlier in the year, so to come back here and see the venue as picturesque is very good,” he said.
Roos said the Demons not only had a “great relationship” with the Northern Territory community, but particularly the NT Government.
