SIMON Goodwin says Melbourne’s match against the Western Bulldogs last round was a glimpse into what the red and blue can be like in the near future.

The senior assistant coach – who will take over from coach Paul Roos at the end of the 2016 season – said it was a great opportunity for Melbourne to compare where they were at against the Bulldogs.

“Absolutely, I think they’ve got a very similar group, in terms of their age, and they’re probably 12 to 18 months more advanced than what we are in some phases of the game,” he told Melbourne TV. 

“We’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us to improve to a level where we can really challenge those top four teams, and win games the way we want to win them more consistently.”

Goodwin said plenty was learned from Melbourne’s 32-point loss against the Dogs at the MCG last Sunday.

“The areas that we’re working on are the right areas to focus in on,” he said.

“We’ve still got a little bit of work in our contest [area], but what we can see is that the level that we’re getting to is capable of us keeping in games.

“We’ve just got to work on some things around the edges there, but there is no doubt this group is on the right path with what they’re training and what they believe in.”

Looking ahead to this Sunday’s clash against the Brisbane Lions at the MCG, Goodwin said the focus was “about us”.

“It’s about how we play and the style we want to play with,” he said.

“There is no doubt that’s what we’ll be focusing in on – the areas that we can control and the way we want to play and that won’t change from week to week, no matter who we play.

“That’s the real key for us – to get back playing a style we know works for us.”