FRIDAY night’s clash against Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium will be a significant test for Melbourne, according to coach Dean Bailey.
The Demons have just come off their third six-day break between rounds 12 and 14, while they have a poor record at Docklands. Melbourne has not won at Etihad Stadium since round 19, 2007 and will be aiming to snap a 10-game losing streak.
But Bailey indicated it was another opportunity for the Demons to step-up in their development.
“No, it hasn’t been too good,” Bailey said of Melbourne’s record at Docklands.
“It’s the same grass, but we’ll see what happens next week.
“We’ve got to make sure we compete really hard next week. It’s a Friday night game, so we’re going to be under the spotlight and the microscope and we’ve got to show what a pre-season can do for us and how we recover during the week to play well Friday night.”
Bailey suggested overcoming several hurdles would test the mettle of all concerned in the club’s football department.
“From a recovery and physical point-of-view - to play three six-dayers in a row is going to be a real challenge for us to come up on Friday night and play against the Dogs,” he said.
“From a physical fitness point-of-view and medical point-of-view, I don’t think we’ll be doing too much this week.”
Still, Bailey was pleased with Melbourne’s impressive 27-point win over another emerging team, Richmond, at the MCG on Saturday.
He said it was important for the players to saviour the moment of winning to ensure the taste would remain with them.
“I always think that the first two or three hours … you’ve got to enjoy the feeling of winning,” Bailey said.
“You do play the game to win, so you don’t want to take that feeling away from them too soon. Within 24 hours, it’s all washed over you and within 24 hours, you’re back into next Friday night’s game, which is a big challenge for us at Etihad Stadium.
“If the object is to win … they want to learn and have that feeling, so it becomes a regular thing and hopefully consistency builds from there.”
