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Dees to maintain AFL fire against North

3 minute read

Unbeaten Melbourne are aiming for a seventh consecutive AFL victory when they meet winless North Melbourne in Hobart.

SIMON GOODWIN.
SIMON GOODWIN. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin insists there is no chance of complacency creeping into his unbeaten team as they look to continue their red-hot start to the AFL season in Sunday's clash with lowly North Melbourne.

The teams enter the match at Hobart's Blundstone Arena in contrasting form, with the injury-hit Kangaroos yet to break through for a victory after six rounds under new coach David Noble.

The high-flying Demons, however, are chasing a seventh consecutive win in their best start to a season since 1965 and could leapfrog the Western Bulldogs into top spot on the ladder.

"Our club certainly doesn't need motivation," Goodwin said this week.

"We're in a position where we've just been resetting every week and we look at every week as an opportunity to play our best footy, to continually improve and it's no different this week.

"We know North Melbourne at Hobart and the challenge that presents.

"They're probably having one quarter a game at the moment where they're off but three quarters are generally pretty strong.

"We want to keep looking at our game, how we keep improving.

"We're not a position where we can take anyone for granted, we just want to play our best footy."

Melbourne knocked off reigning premiers Richmond in round six to announce themselves as a genuine premiership threat in the eyes of many observers, but Goodwin noticed some warning signs that suggest the Dees still have plenty of room for improvement.

"It would have been a lot tighter game had Richmond taken their opportunities," Goodwin said.

"We want to be a forward half team, supply was certainly an issue we didn't want to have last week and it's the first time we've lost it."

The match will be North's first 'home' match in Hobart since August 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic and pits them against former spearhead Ben Brown for the first time since his off-season move to Melbourne.

"I haven't spoken to anyone about playing against Browny," Kangaroos coach David Noble said.

"He's a player now at Melbourne and we're playing the Melbourne Football Club.

"There's no doubt that you need to be at the top of your mark when you're playing against the group that's at the top, so that is a challenge for us to bring that effort and intensity from the get-go.

"Melbourne are a great clearance and contested possession team and their defence has really improved, so we need to be on our mettle."

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