MELBOURNE midfielder Clint Bartram says there were a mix of frustrations and positives from last Saturday's NAB Cup loss to Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium.

Bartram said the Demons wanted to advance as far as they could in the NAB Cup, but a come-from-behind victory from last year's premiers Hawthorn denied a quarter-final appearance for Melbourne.

"There are always going to be those frustrations that we could've gone a bit further and put the Melbourne name out there a bit … and showed that we are on the improve," Bartram told melbournefc.com.au.

"We tried to take more positives out of it than negatives. Obviously we didn't finish the game off the way that we wanted to, but the positive signs were that the young boys came through and played their role.

"Everyone knows their game structure and we were beating Hawthorn at their own game, which is good signs for the club and for all of the young guys coming through as well.

"We did well without winning, so this week is just another opportunity against Sydney and they've got one of the best midfields running around

“It's a good chance to show how far we've come in six months."