PAUL Roos' faith in the Melbourne players remains unshaken despite a disappointing 17-point loss to St Kilda in the opening round.

 

Roos said the players needed to learn how to win again and he was focused on restoring belief among the group.

 

He indicated that the Demons' confidence remained low after several years in the doldrums but said the players' collective talent had not disappeared.  

 

"I am trying to tell them all the time I think they are a much better team than they believe they are," Roos said.

 

The Demons had more disposals (408-348), more scoring shots (21-18) and more inside 50s (47-38) but wasted the ball too many times in general play and in front of goal to capitalise and put pressure on the Saints.

 

However, it is hard to be direct when kicking into a forward line that, at vital times, was either undersized or as empty as a punter's wallet.

 

Roos said that was why the midfield sometimes hung on to the ball for too long or messed around with it in the hope of finding a target. It was not an excuse from the coach, just an obvious factor that dictated the midfielders' decision-making going forward and for that reason, Roos was not too perturbed.

 

"My faith in the group continues but they have just got to have some belief in themselves and that is probably the hardest thing," he said.  

 

Nine Melbourne players had at least 20 disposals and one of them Jack Watts (with 27) showed he could find a target each and every time he moved the ball.

 

That was a step forward for a group that was smashed in the disposal count for most of the past two seasons.

 

Such positives were going to form part of the curriculum for the foreseeable future as, in Roos' words, he went about trying to reprogram the team.

 

"It is about the coaches being positive. We have got to be teachers," Roos said. "You can't run and hide. You know where you are. You know where you want to get to and you know the gap is huge."

 

The Demons also encountered some bad luck mid-game with two corkies reducing Tom McDonald to a hobble, while Jack Fitzpatrick was subbed off before half-time with concussion.

 

Whether or not McDonald should have stayed on Nick Riewoldt during the third quarter – when he kicked two goals to tilt the game St Kilda's way – was debatable but Roos had few options.

 

He eventually pushed McDonald forward just to anchor one of the Saints' defenders deep and keep the midfield rotating in the hope Melbourne could run over the top of St Kilda.

 

The Demons will have to soldier on with the personnel they have available. The date of Jesse Hogan's return remains uncertain while Chris Dawes is still two to three weeks away.

 

As it stands they lack the star quality of a Nick Riewoldt who can control a game and will it in his team's direction.

 

Roos conceded that although it was a hard time for the players they just had to accept reality, keep fronting up and work hard. 

 

"They want to win and they want to be good but it's just a long way from where they have been to where they want to get to," he said.