MELBOURNE is not up to scratch in a number of areas, midfielder Nathan Jones said after the Demons' 148-point shellacking at the hands of Essendon on Saturday night.

If the players thought the performance the week before was an aberration then the result at the MCG was a nasty confirmation that the gap between Melbourne and the rest of the competition might have widened over the off-season.

"We were significantly off the pace tonight," a shattered Jones told AFL.com.au.  

"We know that. It's clear. It's as clear as day that there are some areas we're not up to scratch in and we've got some work to do."

Jones looked more devastated than most players do after a Grand Final loss as he battled to find words to describe the game and the result.

"The whole game is a blur for me right now," Jones said.

He said that the players and coaching staff had resolved to stick together and dig in as it worked its way through the slump but they were under no illusions that it was going to be an easy process.

"It's going to be hard because you don't normally front up to two losses like that when there is a big expectation, but as a footy club we are going to continue to work hard and continue to put our heads down and our bums up," Jones said.

"Obviously the results aren't going our way but the only way to get through it is to keep strong."

Jones was again one of the team's better contributors, battling hard to keep his team in the contest but the numbers simply overwhelmed him.

Jones had 25 possessions, including 10 contested possessions. He also kicked a goal.

He understood the group was in for a rough week again as it tried to rekindle the spirit required to take on West Coast at the MCG.

He could not identify the problem but said they would work their way through the issues by sticking together.

"The only answer I've got for you is that it is not good enough. It is a performance-based game and we aren't performing up to scratch. Obviously we're going to be judged very harshly and that is no doubt fair but as a footy club we are going to stick together," Jones said.