HITTING the bye on the back of a loss gave the Demons some added motivation.

Sure, they were happy with their 11-2 start to 2021, but there was room for improvement, according to senior coach Simon Goodwin.

“We wanted to really celebrate the position we were in,” he said in his post-game media conference.

“We had done a lot right from where we had started the season.

“There were just some elements in our game and the way we were going about our footy that weren’t quite to the level as we headed into the break.

“It was a great chance for the players to reset themselves.

“They had some really fruitful discussions around what they wanted to stand for again and how they’re going to continue to move forward.”

While Saturday night’s 11-point win over Essendon was far from perfect, it was a step in the right direction.

“I thought they responded really strongly tonight,” Goodwin said.

“They’re going to have to continue to do it week after week, and make sure it’s competitive every week, every time they step out there.

“Tonight was one of those games where they had to grind away and they got the result.”

To hear more from Goodwin after the Round 15 win at the MCG, watch the video below.