PERHAPS there is a reason Melbourne's elite performance manager David Misson exudes calm.

He has seen what is required for success.

While he admits he did not predict the Demons would be without a win after seven rounds, he believes he has joined a team that will stay the distance and, eventually, push upwards. 

"I look at their running capacity…the potential capacity is better than the two clubs I worked at really, but it is about getting enough work in over a period of time to translate into games," Misson said.

As such words could be interpreted in all sorts of ways, it's only fair to write they were delivered in a manner best described as cautiously optimistic.

Part of the fitness and conditioning group that took Australia to the cricket World Cup in 1999, the Sydney Swans to the 2005 premiership and St Kilda to three Grand Finals (including a draw), Misson saw Melbourne as his next challenge when the opportunity presented itself in October.

"That is what appeals to me a lot: turning this place around," Misson said.

He knew its list did not have as many seasoned bodies and minds, nor was it as poised for success, as his previous clubs had been when he took on those jobs.

But he signed on after he met new coach Mark Neeld, heard his plans and recognised he had an attitude he respected.

Misson knows his role.

He is one part of the off-field team brought in to teach the players what lies behind top-four football.

As he sat in his uncluttered office before Wednesday's main training session, members of that team kept wandering in.

Club physiotherapist Gary Nicholls - who came from Collingwood - wanted Misson to talk to a player and tell him he was to miss training.

GPS analyst Katy Mouritz dropped on his desk a sheet of paper detailing the players' weekly load.

Misson's door was open, his mood relaxed and he carried the measured look of a tradesman who knew how to do his job.

Rookie Leigh Williams strolled past; his first day back at training after an infection put him in an induced coma.

Misson told him to have a walk, do a touch session with Jack Viney (returning from a broken jaw) and then be home for lunch.

"Can Jack do a handball drill?" said Williams.

"He can. You just can't hit him in the head with the ball, that is all," said Misson.

The delivery was deadpan, the message half-serious.

Misson later provided some context: "One thing I have found is that I can't assume anything, you can't take anything for granted. You just have to keep teaching them and informing them of what they need to be doing at different times," he said.

Luckily Misson communicates with ease, the type of person you would enjoy running between the wickets with.

An A4 sheet detailing the pre-Christmas training calendar is still pinned on his office noticeboard. It's there because no-one has thought to take it down, but it also serves as a reminder of some of the work done since Misson and Melbourne joined forces.

And the weeks when the players began to understand exactly what was ahead of them if they wanted to return to finals action.

During that period Misson showed the players where their three kilometre and one kilometre times stood in relation to the teams he has previously been part of that made Grand Finals.

He explained the power to weight ratio their bodies needed to compete for four quarters and the vision of where he wanted to take the group emerged in his mind. "I have a really strong idea in my mind what the guys need from a running point of view," Misson said.

And he began to see those individuals who might be able to live the Aristotle quote that hangs on the noticeboard in his office: "We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, therefore is not an act - it is a habit."

Misson admits he is still getting to know the players and recognise those who the team can be built around.

Such judgments are critical because he recognises that the best systems don't count for much unless the players have the desire to make it work.

"The more you spend time around them, the more you realise it is the individual's hunger and determination which is going to provide them with the best opportunity," Misson said.

To that end the signs are good. Players are dropping in to ask whether they can do extra work and are willing to follow his plan. 

And training form has been strong.

"It is about them doing it in the heat of battle for two hours and sustaining it for four quarters. That is a hard thing for a young team who just aren't used to it," Misson said.

During training, Misson quietly plays his role.

It is however, he says, the two hours during the week when his nerves are jangling. 

Right now Melbourne is using the midweek session to train hard. This is different to what Misson faced at his two previous clubs, where mid-season sessions were more often a process of ticking the body and mind over.

At Melbourne each session is seen as another step towards helping players develop the sort of mindset needed to become an AFL player.

That makes them tough and the approach means training carries an inherent risk of injury. But it fits the long-term view the club is taking.

So Misson holds his nerves in check.

His whistle pierces the air but it's his eyes doing all the work. He watches how players respond to certain demands. He sees when someone is struggling, when they need to be pushed or rested. He talks to Neeld and Nicholls and the doctor Dan Bates, and he listens.

At AAMI Park he liaises more with the coaching staff than he ever has, getting a feel for what they need and feeding it back to his team.

He delivers his medical and conditioning team's views the other way too, keeping the coaches informed as to what they are thinking.

While Misson is across everything his team does, he prepares the running program himself - aware of the need to be hands-on in certain areas.

And he remains a constant presence around the players, listening here, giving advice there and observing all the time, the expert's unhurried eye never wavering.

And he accepts he can't control everything. 

He knows that to create bodies and minds able to implement a game plan designed to stand up in finals testing midweek sessions are required. "[We want] to send a team out and send individuals out who know exactly what they need to do in [certain] situations," Misson said.

It might not be translating to gameday just yet, but the players are aware of the work required.

After games, for example, the GPS data is heavily analysed to determine who is working hard and who could do more. The Demons have used a formula to come up with one number - called a work unit - that represents each player's in-game running.

It's one of many measures hidden from public view that clubs use to dictate progress or lack thereof.

And it's part of the bigger picture that has Misson anticipating the future.

"A session like we had today where we are doing accountability drills, really strong, hard game running - next pre-season we are going to be able to do that all January instead of teaching structural stuff," Misson said.

"We are going to be able to have those hard running, hard spreading sessions [so] by the time games come along we are used to game running."

This week is another test: against one of his old clubs in his old hometown, Sydney.

There is plenty of hard work ahead at Melbourne. Misson knows that better than most.

"That is the challenge, sticking the journey," Misson said.