Melbourne co-captain Nathan Jones says there's no doubt the Demons' tough run over the next three weeks could define whether they break their 11-year AFL finals drought.
The Dees climbed into the top eight with their stellar Queen's Birthday win over Collingwood, edging the Magpies by four points at the MCG.
But with just two wins separating fifth-placed Port Adelaide from 17th-placed Hawthorn, there's little margin for error in one of the most tightly-contested seasons in recent memory.
The Demons will be put to the test in coming weeks when they face the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium, West Coast in Perth and Sydney at the MCG, all coming off six-day breaks.
"It's a huge challenge for our group but it presents a terrific opportunity," Jones said on Tuesday.
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"Some of the teams we're coming up against are widely-fancied, particularly this week against the reigning premiers.
"I think if you look back, history suggests that we play pretty well off six-day breaks.
"We've prepared ourselves all season, knowing that we've got this period where we're going to face limited training, and limited preparation and turnarounds to perform."
The Bulldogs looked a long way off their best during last week's 46-point loss to Sydney but Jones said he expected the defeat would motivate the premiers to perform in Sunday's clash.
"(They) will come out breathing fire, I would have thought, and playing at their absolute best, which is what we're expecting after their performance on the weekend," he said.
Jones is the only player still on Melbourne's list from the last time they reached the finals back in 2006.
The 29-year-old continues to lead from the front for the Demons, gathering 23 disposals and 12 tackles against Collingwood.
Jones was pleased to see oft-maligned key forward Jack Watts kick the match-winning goal after years of "unwarranted" criticism.
"I think that's been brewing for some time. Wattsy's last two or three years, he's really taken control of his career," Jones said.
"I think his resilience has been built up over time ... credit to him, to be able to brush that (criticism) aside and work on his game, find trust in the people around him and perform the way he did under pressure yesterday."
