Demons’ belief will be hard to overcome

THE weight of expectation on Melbourne has been cast aside by an unshakeable belief among the Demons players.

That’s the message from Demons coach Simon Goodwin who, with a grand final spot up for grabs against Geelong on Friday night, said “everyone is under pressure” as his team looks to end a 57year premiership drought.

Melbourne is odds-on to topple the Cats in Perth, and Goodwin said the Demons had shown their ability to “win from any position” with a miracle round-23 victory over Geelong that had provided him with the tools to use in the preliminary final.

And while every game plan can unravel when the whips start cracking, Goodwin said that wouldn’t happen to his players because they wanted to “go after” the opportunity in front of them.

“There’s pressure on everyone,” he said. “If you look at the history and circumstances of all teams still in the running, there is pressure on every side for a variety of reasons.

“Our pressure comes because we haven’t won it for such a long period of time. We think we have worked to create an opportunity to put our best on show.

“We want to make sure we respect the opportunity in front of us and go after it.

“That’s what the players have been brilliant at all year. They have been able to reset themselves and understand the importance of staying in the moment. It’s no different now.”