TWO THINGS WE LEARNED

1. Melbourne has some genuine firepower up forward
The Demons no longer rely on just Jesse Hogan up forward. In fact, their array of options in attack might be among the best in the League, with Jake Melksham, Christian Petracca, Alex Neal-Bullen, Mitch Hannan, Jeff Garlett, Bayley Fritsch and James Harmes all capable of hitting the scoreboard. The Demons scored 124 points against North Melbourne and then 119 against St Kilda, including 71 in a barnstorming first half.

2. Max Gawn is Melbourne's most important player
Melbourne found a way of not allowing Gawn's absence with a hamstring injury to impact too heavily in 2017, with Cameron Pedersen and Tom McDonald stepping up to play as undersized ruckmen. However, having a healthy Gawn back in the lineup allows Melbourne's midfielders to be more proactive and attacking out of the centre square. Gawn's form in the JLT Series was extremely encouraging.

STILL A MYSTERY

Can Jesse Hogan and Tom McDonald find the chemistry to co-exist in the forward line?
With McDonald limited by an ankle injury up until after Christmas, he and Hogan did not have much chance to train together in match simulation during the pre-season. And with McDonald missing the second JLT Series game against St Kilda with a toe injury, the duo has not had much of a chance to work out each other's tendencies and strengths and weaknesses. This will remain a work in progress when the home and away season starts. - Ben Guthrie