Finals talk is still strictly off the table, but Melbourne coach Steven King wants his team to continue playing with freedom as the Demons attempt to keep bucking the odds.
Melbourne were widely tipped to finish near the foot of the table this year, having bid goodbye to premierships stars Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Steven May after a 14th-placed finish in 2025.
But the Demons have re-invented themselves under first-year coach King, with Melbourne (10-6) defying all expectations to sit sixth on the ladder with seven rounds to go.
The way Melbourne dismantled premiership hopefuls Hawthorn last week was mesmerising, with the Demons opening up a 111-15 lead by midway through the third quarter before taking their foot off the pedal in a 35-point win.
Melbourne will start as hot favourites in Sunday's clash with Richmond at the MCG, and King hasn't been surprised at his team's hot form.
"It hasn't really shocked us internally. If you speak to most of our players, they felt fairly bullish around (how we would go)," King said.
"I'm really fortunate we had 10 or 11 premiership players here already, and some quality young players.
"I've just come in with a fresh lens and asked everyone to start fresh and challenge themselves about what their best looks like.
"Where we sit right now with wins, losses, and ladder, that's almost secondary to the environment and the way I wanted us to play.
"And if we stay true to that, then that's the opportunity for us the next seven weeks ... that pursuit of playing that pure Demon football for four quarters."
One or two more wins may be enough for Melbourne to qualify for the newly-introduced Wildcard finals round.
Four more wins should suffice to lock in a top-six berth and a home final, but finals talk is not in King's vocabulary right now.
"I know how marginal this competition is," King said.
"One week you're spoken about really highly, the next one, you slip up, or you come up against a really good team, and you can't control what other clubs are doing around you.
"I think it's too early for us yet to mention that (finals) word."