Melbourne recruit Jordan Lewis is adamant the Demons won't be hanging their heads after a horror week in the AFL.
Injuries, discipline issues and a comprehensive loss to Sydney have combined to leave the Dees looking shaky with a tough fixture ahead.
Melbourne will be without both of their co-captains for at least the next month after Jack Viney (foot) joined Nathan Jones (quad) on the sidelines.
Jesse Hogan, Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett and Christian Salem are also on the injury list, while Tom Bugg is facing a lengthy suspension for his ugly hit on Sydney's Callum Mills.
The Dees were thoroughly outplayed by Sydney at the MCG on Friday night but former Hawthorn premiership player Lewis believes it was an anomaly rather than a sign of things to come.
"We've been in every single game this year, probably bar tonight (when) we felt like we couldn't peg back that lead - we'd get one and they'd get two," Lewis told AAP after the game.
"It's probably the first game that we haven't really felt in control of.
"We'll bounce back. We're a proud group, we're on the way up and we've got a lot of young exuberant players out there who'll be looking to bounce back after a poor performance."
Sunday's clash with the 15th-placed Blues looms as a possible danger game for the sixth-placed Dees.
Brendon Bolton's developing side count ladder-leaders Greater Western Sydney among their scalps this season, and they also got within two goals of second-placed Adelaide last week.
Hogan and Garlett are each a slim chance to return but Watts is set to miss at least another week with his hamstring injury.
The Dees face major tests against Adelaide, Port Adelaide, North Melbourne in Hobart and GWS over the next month but Lewis said the loss of key personnel would be no excuse.
"We've got a lot of competitive people in this side," he said.
"We expect players who come in to just play their role, and that's been a strength of our side so far."
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