A key mantra for Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin in the opening part of the season has been the need for his side to play fearless football and adopt a recognisable brand.

The starting point for the Demons is being strong around the contest and aggressive with their defensive positioning and pressure.

Although Melbourne has lost three consecutive games, its want and desire for the contest has not waned.

The fact the Demons are now the fourth-ranked team in the competition for tackle differential (+5.6), after being 17th last season (-10.1), underlines the Goodwin influence.

Melbourne is also first in the AFL for pressure factor (1.86), which is clearly a non-negotiable under Goodwin's coaching.

With pressure high on opposition teams around the contest, Melbourne's defenders are more confidently able to set up in aggressive positions behind the footy.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick noted Melbourne's proactive zone setup after Monday's game and it is something that has confronted a lot of teams this season.

From there, the payoff is the Demons have been able to move the ball with more dare and precision and already they are scoring more freely than last season.

Melbourne remains a developing side (it had 12 players with fewer than 50 games experience against the Tigers) and is still prone to lapses in concentration at points in games, but the framework is there, and once the team's young players develop more consistency the Demons will be tough to beat.