AS MELBOURNE stares down the barrel of a Grand Final rematch to face the only side to best them in season six, it's armed with small changes to the game plan and bigger adjustments to their mindset. 

"I look back at the Grand Final and I'm happy to talk about it because it was obviously good achievement from the team last year to get that opportunity," Melbourne head coach Mick Stinear told womens.afl.  

"But then the disappointment that we didn't function as a team and yeah, we got obviously got beaten by a better team on the day." 

The Demons looked unstoppable for much of the season, improving their ball movement and generating scores like they never had before. Finally, it seemed, they would break through for their first premiership. But the brick wall that was Adelaide was to have a say in that. 

Adelaide's intercepting game and elite team defence worried Melbourne into poor decision-making, ultimately taking away their assets – in particular their ability to hit the scoreboard. 

"The opportunity for us is actually to function better as a team and embrace those pressure moments," Stinear said.  

"We've made some adjustments to our game style, nothing major, just little minor adjustments that will help combat teams like Adelaide, and North are similar with the way they defend and Carlton as well. But then really, it just it makes us a better team against anyone we play against." 

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Minor adjustments to the game style, but more importantly, the ability to adapt under pressure. Sticking to the team game with star players bearing down on you. 

"We could work on the game style we want; we could keep working on our skills. But then if we can't function individually and collectively, from a mental point of view, then yeah, we're not going to take that next step forward," Stinear explained frankly. 

"The aim for us is to function better as a team and have much better method in those moments of pressure. Whether it's on the biggest stage or whether it's when a team really takes us takes it up to us and challenges us because we believe that our best is good enough." 

It all comes down to an ability to wrestle back control when faced with an elite side like the three-time Premiers. Not allowing the opposition to dictate how the Demons want to play and "even just that willingness to have a bit of flair on offence and take the game on and want the ball in your hands". 

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Despite the Grand Final heartbreak, a bright spark for the Demons throughout the finals series was young talent Alyssa Bannan, who did want the ball in her hands. 

The 20-year-old kicked three goals in Melbourne's tight preliminary final win over Brisbane – making her one of just five players to kick three goals in a final. She then backed it up with her side's opening goal of the Grand Final from a neat intercept. 

"It's exciting. She's enormously talented, football ability on top of her athleticism. But now we're combining that with some maturity and a genuine belief. She can play in multiple positions and is not really a forward you want to line up on (because of) her ability on the ground level and then genuine speed," Stinear said.

Bannan looks set to combine with winger Casey Sherriff up forward this season, adding more speed in attack at the feet of the competition's best contested mark, Tayla Harris. 

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"Unfortunately, I was probably a bit slow to pull the trigger in the Grand Final and putting (Sherriff) forward because she has genuine speed and skill and great footwork. So now she'll be playing forward for us and hopefully that's a success for us. She's bringing running capacity and is a very clever player," Stinear said.

Those tweaks, on the field and inside their heads, arm the Demons with their best possible chance to avenge their Grand Final defeat. And history is also on their side. After all, no premier has ever won a Grand Final rematch in the following home and away season.