WHILE a comprehensive win over the Gold Coast is not the most surprising thing to happen in football these days, it was enough to satisfy a success-starved Melbourne.

Coach Mark Neeld was reasonably pleased with his third win as coach.

Midfielder Nathan Jones was relieved that his signing of a new contract coincided with a victory.

And Colin Sylvia was able to smile after the game with good reason.

It was in reality a rare luxury for Melbourne to run around in the right grade, meeting a team with similar games experience.

Such a contest, Neeld said after the game, was a better opportunity than most to get an indication of how the group was tracking in its development.

And the indicators were good from most angles.

Neeld liked the fact pressure was applied for four quarters; the fans liked to see six goals to none in the first quarter and a final margin of 42 points, and both parties enjoyed seeing veteran Brad Green enjoy himself as he kicked five goals.

The Demons' coterie group even awarded Green a gold watch for best on ground in the rooms after the game and Neeld paid a compliment to the 30-year-old in the post-match press conference.

It was a somewhat lacklustre game after quarter-time but a few notable things stood out, particularly the performances of some individuals Melbourne is pinning its future on.

Jeremy Howe, who the club also announced pre-game had re-signed for three years, not only flew high as usual but he played a complete game with 23 disposals and received plaudits from the coach for the types of things coaches love.

"His work rate and basic things on the footy field were good today," Neeld said.

The talented Sam Blease was both a roadrunner and a coyote with the ball in his hand. Once he crumbed a pack to kick a spectacular goal that few other players can manage.

Twice he played on after marking and muffed a goalscoring chance when he just needed to show some poise. While the Blease package is just 16 games old, the coach sees good signs.

"He is a likeable kid… [a] very, very excitable individual, Sammy, with a lot of talent," Neeld said. "He'll get there."

Co-captain Jack Trengove jumped and marked and ran like the player everyone expects him to be in the future, but Neeld said everyone needed to take a deep breath when it came to assessing him.

Neeld said he was tracking at the same rate at his age as many of the game's best midfielders did when they were 20, but being skipper made it likely he would be heavily scrutinised.

Jake Spencer chimed in with a goal to enjoy his first win in his 13th game. His teammate Nathan Jones said Spencer was the competitive beast the team needed. "He's been super, "Jones said.

And in the rooms a beaming Sylvia, whose class was a big factor early, was able to talk about a win for the 45th time in his 134-game career.

"We set it up for ourselves quite nicely in the first quarter," Sylvia said. "The intensity was up, that sense of urgency to really get off to a good start set us up for the rest of the game."

So the development process can continue unimpeded. The Demons have three wins for the season and can see signs of progress.

"We're fully aware of where we are at, but it was pleasing to come along and have a win," Neeld said.