Demons hopeful of bouncing back

Melbourne coach Dean Bailey has called upon his charges to give an improved performance in their round two AFL clash with the Bulldogs at the MCG today.

The Demons were thrashed by 104 points at the hands of a youthful Hawthorn side last week, and Bailey has rung the changes in a bid to reverse the side's fortunes.

Three players including Adem Yze have been dumped, and Bailey says the Demons must improve.

"It's about what we can do this week and we need people at the game to support us and make the atmosphere at the game as good as we can, so that Melbourne players can get out there and do what they should do and be competitive for long periods of the game," he said.

Meanwhile the Bulldogs have named an unchanged line-up from the side that defeated the Crows by three points last weekend.

Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade says he is expecting a much improved performance from the Demons today.

"I think every team at some stage is going to have an aberration," he said.

"It's just the way footy is, you're not on song or [if the] other team gets a bit of a roll on, that it can be a blow out.

"Melbourne have got a lot of talent ... they're a side that play well against us.

"We've had good contests over the last three or four seasons.

"We certainly expect them to be very aggressive."

James McDonald plays his 200th game for Melbourne, while Clint Bartram plays his first match for a year after recovering from a knee injury.

Source: By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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