By Jon Pierik

MELBOURNE chief executive Cameron Schwab insists the Demons are on the right path to sustained success, with the club confident it will be a premiership contender from 2013. After a week of criticism following the second-half fade-out against Hawthorn last week, including some stinging remarks from chairman Jim Stynes, Schwab has moved to allay concerns about the direction the club has taken. The pressure emanating from a winless start to the season - despite a round-one draw with Sydney - is expected to ease today when the Demons, tipped to be a top-eight challenger, face the struggling Brisbane Lions at the MCG. But Schwab, who conducted a pre-season review of the Demons' football department, has used his weekly segment on DeeTV to stress to supporters that expectations should be tempered as this season remained one of ''being competitive''. ''I know it's a term that gets a little bit almost on the goat of those who actually support our club, when they hear us talk about this notion,'' he said.