Simon Goodwin is confident Melbourne will avoid Round 23 heartache this season

MELBOURNE is confident it can avoid more Round 23 heartache this season, coach Simon Goodwin saying his side is primed to “launch” in the final seven rounds.

Simon Goodwin and Nathan Jones share a laugh. Picture: Michael Klein

MELBOURNE is confident it can avoid more Round 23 heartache this season, coach Simon Goodwin saying his side is primed to “launch” in the final seven rounds with the belief it can win them all.

The Demons have just four players on their injury list and snapped a three-game losing streak to get their season back on track last weekend with a 54-point win over Fremantle in Darwin.

That result leaves the side in the same position as this time last year with a 9-6 record but Goodwin has his sights set on a much better run home.

RUN HOME: WHERE WILL YOUR CLUB FINISH?

LLOYD: FINALS OR BUST FOR FRAGILE DEMONS

The Demons managed only three wins from their final seven games of 2017 including a Round 23 loss to Collingwood to miss finals by 0.5 per cent.

Richmond used the same period last year as a launching pad to premiership success, winning six of its final seven games during the regular season and all three finals after also holding a 9-6 record after Round 16.

“We aim to win every game that we go out and play. Where that takes us we’ll have to wait and see but we want to continue to improve as a side,” Goodwin said.

Max Gawn celebrates Melbourne’s win over Fremantle in Darwin.

“I’ve said this to the players and I’ll keep saying it, the team that continues to improve from right now until the end of the year will be the team that really comes into that stage of the season with the best shot of winning it. So our responsibility now is to keep improving. We were in this same spot last year, 9-6, now it’s a chance for us to really progress forward as a footy club and improve and actually start to take our game to a new level.”

Goodwin said defence remained the Demons’ main focus area as they strive for improvement, the Demons ranking first for scores for at 104 points a game but 10th for scores against, conceding an average of 81 points.

The coach said midfielder Bernie Vince had “done enough” to earn a recall if a spot became available while Joel Smith would have “some hurdles” to clear after copping a heavy knock to his hip in the win over the Dockers.

Melbourne hosts the 14th-placed Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Saturday ahead of away games against Geelong and Adelaide.

Watch every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. SIGN UP NOW >