Melbourne midfielder Nathan Jones says improvements on and off the field have the AFL club excited by the challenge of taking on the Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome on Sunday.

The Bulldogs pumped the Demons by 95 points in round two, part of a dismal start to Melbourne's 150th year, after their 104-point thrashing by Hawthorn in the opening round.

But, buoyed by an upset win over Brisbane last round and a more positive off-field atmosphere following Jim Stynes' appointment as president last month, Jones said there was optimism about what the club could achieve for the rest of the year.

"The club's been on the rise, the boys have really tried to lift their performance," Jones said.

"Jimmy coming on board, the new board, they've really tried to come in and make a clear statement that the club's going to be here for a long time ... it's just exciting times ahead."

The consistent 20-year-old said Melbourne's young squad had made a concerted effort to undo the damage caused to the team's reputation by their uncompetitive early-season showings.

"The way we performed at the start of the season was a bit of a blight on our character, the way we were perceived in the media was really disappointing the boys," Jones said.

"We just wanted to make sure that we got out there and changed peoples' perceptions and earned the respect of other clubs and other players."

He credits the victory over the Lions, just Melbourne's second of the year and first over a top-eight side, to their improved workrate.

"It was unbelievable, the boys have taken a lot from it," Jones said.

"There's been times during the year when we've been in the game at three-quarter time and teams have run over us.

"But that game against Brisbane was more of an 80 to 90 per cent effort more than a 50 to 60 per cent effort.

"It just shows what you can do when you keep sticking at it."

They are confident a similar approach will give them a chance against the Bulldogs, despite the huge gap on the ladder.

"We played Brisbane who were fighting for a top four spot and just came out and tried to play our style of footy and that's all we're going to try to do this week," Jones said.

"Hopefully we can come away with another win."

Their chances have not been helped by a growing injury list, with midfielder Brock McLean last week joining Brent Moloney, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson and retired skipper David Neitz as players out for the season.

In addition, veteran midfielder James McDonald will miss Sunday's match with a groin injury, while small forward Aaron Davey is serving a club-imposed suspension, leaving the team missing a large chunk of its senior core.

But Jones said the positive was the way young players had developed in the absence of some senior teammates.

"There's a lot of players that are coming through and it's just going to give other blokes an opportunity," he said.

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