After securing its first win of the season last Saturday night at the Gabba, Melbourne will come into its Round 3 clash with North brimming with confidence.

Nine goals between forwards Jesse Hogan and Jeff Garlett ensured the Demons secured the points, and steadied the ship following a heartbreaking loss to Geelong the week prior.

Hogan’s Round 2 performance has taken his season tally to eight goals, and puts the 23-year-old fourth in the Coleman Medal race, behind the likes of Buddy Franklin, Jeremy Cameron and Tom Lynch.

Ruckman Max Gawn has kick-started his 2018 season seamlessly after only playing 13 games in 2017 because of a hamstring injury.

In the opening two rounds, Gawn has averaged 47 hit-outs, with his strongest performance coming against the Cats in which he also racked-up 20 disposals and laid five tackles.

Gawn’s early dominance has given first service to his midfielders, and that is reflected in the numbers produced by emerging star Clayton Oliver and co-captain Nathan Jones.

Oliver has been terrific so far, averaging 31 disposals per game, while Jones has too been impressive, with an average disposal count of 28.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the Dees however, with Melbourne falling away from their usually high standard in periods of both matches, allowing its opponents to take control of the game.

In Round 1, the Demons gave away three 50 metre penalties in the second quarter as the Cats kicked four unanswered goals to go from trailing by ten points to leading by over two goals.

A week later, Melbourne held a second half lead of 42 points over the Lions, which was quickly erased thanks to eight unanswered goals by Brisbane.

The one shining light for coach Simon Goodwin in the midst of this trend, is that the side has been able to bounce back on both occasions and get itself back into the game.

The Demons’ dynamic forward-line and star-studded midfield means they are capable of matching it with the league’s best on their day, and the fact they are back on the MCG for the first time this season, will give them an added boost.