Lid should be off for Demons says former star

Five-time premiership star Dermott Brereton says Melbourne should embrace the hype and be openly bullish about their 2017 aspirations.

The Demons' 10-year hiatus from finals has many at Melbourne keen to downplay the groundswell of optimism created after strong pre-season wins over Western Bulldogs and Carlton.

But the brash talking Brereton has advised a very different approach.

“I reckon Melbourne, for the first time in so long, the team, the unit…they actually believe right now about what they’re doing,” he said on SEN's The Run Home.

“Let them run with it and they’ll get their arse kicked at some stage and that will naturally bring them in. But they’ve got the leadership in place now to deal with that. Every premiership side gets belted at some point.”

After elevating Jack Viney to the role of co-captain and adding former Hawk superstar Jordan Lewis, the Demons’ leadership is as strong as it’s been since David Neitz led the side in the early 2000’s.

After the side demolished the Blues at the weekend, headlined by four goals to Christian Petracca, the expectation switch went up a notch for a side that has been in football’s wilderness for the best part of a decade.

Brereton hailed Petracca as on target to stardom.

“Anyone who is going to be a bona-fide superstar takes off in their third season of football,” he said.

“That boy is a star. He’s so powerful, he’s got a kick like a mule and he reads the game so well so there’s not much he lacks as a player.”

While talking up the Demons the SEN footy analyst had very few positive words for the Blues who were shown a clean pair of heels from start to finish.

“I spoke to a Melbourne player who said Blues were as disorganised as ever,” he said.

“When they were having a go he said they weren’t that great.”

Carlton takes on St Kilda this Saturday before rounding out home and away preparations against Fremantle.

The Demons have this weekend off and will travel west to play West Coast in the final round of the JLT Community Series.

Click here to view SEN Inside Football AFL Player Ratings for EVERY Melbourne player.