Simon Goodwin is adamant Melbourne can quickly rise back into AFL premiership contention, forecasting an aggressive approach to off-season player acquisition.
The Demons are nearing the end of a disappointing campaign, out of finals reckoning with a 6-12 record ahead of a clash with St Kilda on Sunday.
But coach Goodwin has been buoyed by a series of competitive performances since a woeful 0-5 start to the year, and has high hopes for the future.
Improving the playing list with "high-quality" recruits is a priority.
"Right now we need to continue to add, especially through the age bracket of 24 to 30," Goodwin said.
"There's no question that we've been pretty strategic and gone to the draft the last three or four years in a pretty aggressive manner, and we haven't really done a lot of trading in recent times.
"But we want to add to our list and continue to evolve and get better and change, and part of that is making sure that we've got a team that can go out there and be competitive all the time."
Goodwin believes his team's ongoing transition can lead to success while the likes of star midfielders Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver are somewhere near the peak of their powers.
"We think all our mature-age players have still got three, four or five years in front of them," Goodwin said.
"We've also gone to the draft in the last three or four years, so we think right now we've got a group that can transition quite quickly.
"We're in a hurry to do that but we need to be really strategic and smart and continue to grow and develop.
"It's not just what you do in the off-season, it's how you develop your players internally to get the spike that you need."
Goodwin, who led Melbourne to the drought-breaking 2021 premiership, last week became the fourth man to coach the Demons in 200 AFL/VFL games.
The 48-year-old is contracted until the end of next season and "absolutely" has the energy to steer the team through its next phase.
"I love coaching. I've been here before and I know the process that sits within it," Goodwin said.
"When you're changing things and you're pivoting to your next great team that you want to create, it can be challenging.
"There can be inconsistencies, there can be frustrations along the way, but you need to be really clear about it and go after it.
"I've got the energy to do that, I love it, I've done it before and I'll try to do it again."
