MELBOURNE co-captain Nathan Jones says some extensive soul-searching after the 93-point loss to West Coast in round two, and some pointed words from coach Paul Roos, have helped the club turn its form around.
The Demons have won two of their last three games, with their upset victory over Richmond on Saturday propelling them above the Tigers on the ladder.
"That loss to West Coast was a kind of line in the sand," Jones told Channel Seven's Talking Footy on Monday night.
"We'd fallen back into how we'd played in recent years and gone back into our shells.
"It was really clear that we weren't playing to the plan we'd practised over the pre-season.
"So Roosy really stripped it back and we went back over the stuff we did in pre-season.
"He kept driving home those key messages about team and playing your role. I think from that moment in the season, we've taken small steps forward every week.
"I think the message that (Roos has) pushed in the last four or five weeks is that he thinks the talent pool is there and we're good enough and ready enough to win right now.
"He's continued to push that. He's built the confidence of the group, he's built the confidence of players that have possibly been down over the last couple of years. We're seeing that come to the fore.
"I think now we're starting to get that belief that we can win games. We're not here to make up the numbers and be competitive.
"We want to win, and we're getting a taste for that, and we're excited about the rest of the season."
Although it appeared that Richmond had more to play for on Saturday, given the club wanted to celebrate the life of its four-time premiership coach Tom Hafey with a win, Jones gave an insight into Melbourne's mindset before the clash.
"Roosy had addressed it early in the week, and even prior to the game he'd mentioned that it wasn't only Richmond honouring Tommy Hafey's legend, it was the entire footy community," Jones said.
"And we had the same opportunity as Richmond to honour that on the day and play in the spirit that he would want the game to be played in, and I think that really resonated with the group."
Jack Watts played a crucial role in the victory over the Tigers, booting three goals, including two in the last quarter.
Jones is delighted with the way Watts is starting to prove his doubters wrong.
"We've seen over the last month that he's really found his position down forward, and obviously the confidence and belief Roosy has given him to harness his talent and perform, we're starting to see some consistent footy from him," he said.
"It's a credit to him, really."
