Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says his team took an important step forward in their 54-point demolition of Fremantle, but he's well aware there's still deficiencies the AFL side need to iron out.
The Demons overcame a horror case of the goalkicking yips to post the 13.24 (102) to 7.6 (48) win in greasy conditions in Darwin on Saturday night.
Melbourne won the inside-50m count by a staggering 78-28, with their dominance all over the field helping them snap a three-game losing streak.
The Demons (9-6) will have a chance to further entrench themselves in the top eight when they take on the Bulldogs at the MCG next Saturday.
Goodwin lavished praise on his team's defensive effort against Fremantle - an area the club had focused on in the lead-up to the game.
Melbourne's discipline and mental strength had been questioned following the recent three-match losing run, and Goodwin was proud of the way his players responded.
But he knows they still need to improve their consistency before they can be considered a great side.
"We're still clearly evolving as a team. We're getting better and better as we go," Goodwin said.
"We understand there's still deficiencies in our game that we're working on. We're still building the team we want to become.
"There's still a lot of work to do. But we still think we're not that far away."
Defender Joel Smith is in doubt for the Bulldogs clash after injuring a hip against the Dockers.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon conceded his team were flattered by the final margin, which could have been more than 100 points if Melbourne had have been more accurate.
The Dockers (6-9) lost to Brisbane by 55 points last round, and are in danger of copping even more floggings in the tail-end of the season.
Star duo Nat Fyfe and Aaron Sandilands are still weeks away from returning, and Lyon said the team simply can't wait for the cavalry to return.
"There's no saviour for us, we need to work through this," Lyon said ahead of next Sunday's home clash with Port Adelaide.
"We had eight players under 12 games (against the Demons). It's a lot, but that's where we are at and it's what we're doing."
