Melbourne will learn in Sunday’s AFL clash with Brisbane whether they’ve improved as much as they think, says co-captain Jack Grimes.
After just one win in a horror first half of the season, the Demons started the second half of the year much more brightly with Sunday’s 78-point win over Greater Western Sydney.
Grimes said they had treated the mid-season break as a chance to start over and predicted Sunday’s win would kick off a dramatically improved finish to Mark Neeld’s first year in charge.
The Demons were embarrassed by the Lions at the MCG in round one, copping a 41-point thrashing days after attending the funeral of club legend Jim Stynes.
It makes Sunday’s rematch at the Gabba a good gauge of their improvement.
“It will be a big test to see how far we’ve come in 11 rounds,” Grimes told reporters on Monday.
“They’re flying at the moment, they’re playing some really good footy and we’re going up to their home ground as well.”
“We’ll try to attack them the way they attacked us in round one.”
Grimes said the signs were promising, with two wins in three games.
The good form of regular defenders Colin Garland and Jared Rivers in attack has added a new dimension, the pair proving excellent foils to towering forward Mitch Clark.
Clark was subbed out of Sunday’s win over the Giants with a foot injury, after kicking four first-half goals, leaving doubt over whether he can play this Sunday, in what would be the ex-Lion’s Gabba return.
Grimes was hopeful Clark would play, but predicted a similarly hostile reception that Demons fans served up to Greater Western Sydney’s ex-Melbourne recruit Tom Scully at the MCG.
Like Scully, Clark switched clubs for what many rated an inflated contract.
But Clark’s form so far this season is going some way to justifying his four-year deal believed to be worth about $600,000 per year.
“The impact that he’s had in the games that he’s played and over the pre-season has been unbelievable,” Grimes said.
With the Demons’ only two previous interstate trips this season resulting in triple-figure beltings from West Coast and Sydney, Grimes said a fast start against the Lions was vital.