Lachie Hunter is expecting Melbourne to be a very difficult team to beat in 2023.
The 28-year-old wingman joined the Demons from the Western Bulldogs last trade period and has hit the ground running at his second club, impressing during his first pre-season in the red and blue.
The Dees, who won the 2021 premiership against the Dogs, were in contention for much of last season before exiting the finals in straight sets but went about adding quality to their list in the off-season by recruiting Hunter and Brodie Grundy from Collingwood, among others.
They immediately looked sharp playing a fast, upbeat style in their two practice matches which resulted in comfortable wins over St Kilda and Richmond.
With that being the case, Hunter was asked if Simon Goodwin has the squad to win the flag in 2023 and if the Demons have talked about that internally?
“Not in those exact words but I think it’s pretty evident from the conversations that the team is having that we understand the position we are in,” Hunter said on SEN’s Sportsday.
“It’s an unbelievable team with a lot of talent and some more talent added on top with Brodie as well this year.
“It’s pretty impressive to watch the way a lot of them go about it at training and from our first two looks at opposition it definitely feels like we’re going to be a pretty hard team to stop this year.”
Hunter played 173 games for the Bulldogs between 2013 and 2022, winning a drought-breaking premiership with the club in 2016.
After spending so long at the club his father Mark also played for, Hunter admits it was tough to leave but knew it had to be done after his football became stale at The Kennel.
“I got to the point where I wasn’t playing the footy that I necessarily wanted to,” Hunter added.
“If I had my time again I’d probably do a few things differently towards the back-end of my career (at the Dogs), but I probably needed a fresh start just to reignite that footy and get going again.
“In the end the Dees came and they were there, they’re obviously a very good team and should be in contention. Not only that but I thought I could add something to the group as well.
“So that was the reason for coming here and I haven’t looked back.”
The Demons and Dogs resume hostilities in Round 1 of the 2023 season at the MCG on Saturday night in Hunter’s official Dees debut.
