COACH Paul Roos says Melbourne is preparing to take on Essendon at its absolute best and says this Saturday’s contest at the MCG won’t be a pushover.

Although the Bombers easily lost to the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium in round one, Roos said the new-look Dons, given their top-up players, wouldn’t be taken lightly.

“They played some good football [in round one] and their second half was solid against Gold Coast. They’re a team that’s still trying to find its synergy a bit. They’ve got guys coming in and out a bit,” he said from AAMI Park on Wednesday.

“I think [Essendon coach] John [Worsfold] was pretty positive about the second half and they’re going to get better week-in-week-out and play for each other.

“I suspect they’ll settle on a team that will play with each other for a period of time, which allows them to have some synergy and teamwork.

“We want to get better each week and that’s the way we’ll prepare this week against Essendon.”

Although Roos said the signs had been positive this year – Melbourne has won all four matches (three NAB Challenge games and the opening round over Greater Western Sydney) – he added that it was important his side didn’t get ahead of itself.

“From our point of view, our best is really good, but we still need to work hard as a team and play four good quarters of football,” he said.

“It’s a long game for a youngish group and to be able to keep that up is important.

“Every win builds belief for us as a young footy team, so every win is extremely important.”

Meanwhile, Roos said he wasn’t sure if the high-scoring trend in the opening round would be the theme for the season.

“I think a lot of times, scoring goes down in winter, apart from Etihad [Stadium], when it’s raining and wet and windy and cold,” he said.

“We all enjoyed the footy on the weekend, but whether it’s 26 goals to 15 like the Eagles [and Brisbane] match, I’m not sure.

“The signs are that the teams are trying to move the ball quicker and try and break open defences, but it’s only one week.”