Star midfielder Clayton Oliver's impressive return from injury has buoyed Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin, who is taking positives out of his side's narrow defeat to Carlton.
The Demons slipped from second to third on a congested AFL ladder with a four-point loss - 9.6 (60) to 8.8 (56) - that ended their five-match winning streak on Saturday night.
Goodwin's men had fought back from 18 points down in the final term of a low-scoring contest and fell short when Christian Petracca's long-range shot in the final minute was ruled touched on the goal line.
Goodwin lamented his side's slow start, in which they were belted 24-4 in forward entires during the first quarter, and was left ruing big moments that fell Carlton's way in a "finals-like" arm wrestle.
But he remains upbeat ahead of clashes with Hawthorn and Sydney that could serve as a launching pad into September.
"We take enormous belief from the game," Goodwin said.
"We're building a team that continues to come and fight and scrap and find a way into the game.
"We gave ourselves a chance again late."
Oliver made his first appearance since round 10 after a battle with hamstring injuries and, much like his team, started slowly.
But the gun on-baller built into the contest and finished with an impressive stat line, including 27 disposals, 13 tackles and nine clearances.
"At the start he looked a little bit rusty but by the end of the game you could see it was the Clayton of old," Goodwin said.
"He's ended up with a huge number of tackles, nine clearances, high possession and I thought his second half was enormous.
"That's the Clayton we know and love, and he's only going to get better from here. That was a really good starting point for him."
Recalled recruit Brodie Grundy had limited impact in his reprised ruck-forward combination with Max Gawn.
After four weeks in the reserves, Grundy had nine disposals and 11 hit-outs on return in slippery conditions that made life tough for the big men.
"We probably used both (Grundy and Gawn) in the ruck a little bit more than what we were planning for, but that was what the game needed at the time," Goodwin said.
"(Grundy) will evolve, he'll get better, but it wasn't a free-flowing type of game. There were a lot of scrappy entries for both teams.
"We'll go back and have a look at it and assess it as we go."
Key forward Tom McDonald will return from an ankle injury in the VFL on Sunday as he seeks to force his way back into Melbourne's senior side before the finals.
