DESPITE overcoming a slack start to claim a must-win game, Melbourne coach Dean Bailey was left fuming at his side's inability to play out a full four quarters after its 11-point win over the Brisbane Lions on Sunday at the MCG.

The Demons were smashed in tackles and beaten in contested ball in the first quarter, which allowed the Lions to build a 25-point lead by the first break.

Bailey said while he was pleased with his side's fight back, he was frustrated by the third-straight week of patchy play and said the result was not a redemption for last week's dramatic fade out against Hawthorn.

"I found the first quarter wasn't good enough. I found the second and third quarter the players worked harder and got themselves out of a hole they dug in the first quarter," Bailey said.

"We kicked the first goal but we didn't press up on them quick enough, we allowed them to get uncontested mark chains, we didn't put enough pressure on them and hence they scored.

"The pleasing thing was they got themselves out of it and they hung in there and won the game.

"A win is very good for the group and next week's 120 minutes would want to be better than what we showed today."

Bailey said his players lacked "appetite" for tackles early on, which was particularly disappointing after the 45-point loss to the Hawks, and failed to apply a determined mindset across the afternoon.

"Attitudes are a great thing to have 100 per cent of the time so you've got to play the game with an intensity that is above the opposition and we didn't," he said.

"It gets down to the intensity that you bring for 120 minutes, and we haven't played a 120-minute game yet.

"We were three or four goals behind against the Swans and today we were at least four of five goals behind.

"We're not going to win too many games if we allow that passage to happen."

He said the game changed when they started winning contested possessions, and the Demons benefited from Jared Rivers' run from defence, Brent Moloney's 37 possessions and Liam Jurrah's five goals.

But he said he was let down by too many players who had "bit parts" in the "two-and-a-half quarters" the Demons turned up.

"If you don't come with intensity, you open yourself up to get beaten in those important stats," he said.

"Football's a very fundamental game. You win those contested possessions and tackles, you're in the game.

"If you decide not to win that, you allow the opposition, through their hard work, they put scoreboard pressure on and our first quarter was not good at all.

"Our second and third quarter were obviously a lot better because we fought our way back into the game, and the stats that were negative in the first quarter seemed to be positive in the second and third quarter."