FIVE rounds into the 2023 NAB AFLW Season, the halfway mark of home-and-away games, Melbourne sits atop the ladder. 

Currently undefeated and with a percentage of 306.9, the Demons’ year has started in perfect form.

But even from the top, there’s still room for improvement, according to experienced Demon Maddi Gay.

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Following an emphatic 49-point win over top-eight side Geelong, Gay joined media to review her team’s season so far and preview what’s to come for the reigning premiers.  

“Geelong’s been playing good footy, so we thought it would be a hard, contested game and it was,” Gay told media on Tuesday.

“Obviously, we’re only at Round 5 this year, so we’ve still got a lot to do in the back end but it’s good to see that the hard work is paying off.

“We don’t want the ball going into their forward 50, so we’ll be working on that during training and in the games coming up.

“We still want to work as a unit and get all our roles right and continue on the work we’ve done.”

Melbourne’s next challenge is a top-of-the-table clash against long-standing rivals, Adelaide, this Saturday.

The Crows sit at second on the ladder, also undefeated and off to a flying start, setting the scene for a high-stakes contest at Casey Fields.   

Despite the existing history between the two sides, Gay said the Dees were looking forward to the task ahead. 

“There’s no surprise that they’ve been playing good footy [this year]," Gay said. 

“Their midfield is obviously their main engine so we’ll need to somehow stop that so as to allow us to bring the ball into our forward 50.

“We love hard footy and it’ll be a really good game.”