FOR THE FIRST time in a long time, the Melbourne Football Club has become ‘the hunted’.

On the back of last year’s premiership, and a 6-0 start to 2022, opposition clubs are targeting the Demons, and it’s something Christian Petracca is acutely aware of.

“In terms of being the hunted, we spoke about that earlier in the pre-season,” Petracca told SEN’s The Run Home on Thursday afternoon.

“As a footy club, Melbourne supporters haven’t had that for a long time.

“We need to face that as a challenge each week, but we love it, we absolutely love it.”

The Dees are still three wins off their streak that kick-started last year’s success, but there is more to it than pure numbers.

Petracca says the group has reflected on their experiences in 2021 to become a stronger team this time around.

“As a footy club, not just ourselves but any football club, you go in with a preparation, a plan, to succeed on game day,” he said.

“Last year was a great challenge for us.

“We started 9-0, but the first nine games we weren’t really convincing.

“We were winning games, but we weren’t putting teams to the sword.

“I think we came into this pre-season just knowing what we have to do to win, and that’s just everyone playing their role – it’s a team sport.”

As is often the case after a premiership, there has been some external speculation about whether the Dees can continue their success into the future.

And Petracca isn’t shying away from his ambitions to be the best.

“We understand the position we’re in,” he said when questioned about a ‘dynasty’.

“I’m probably a bit different to everyone else, I don’t really play a straight bat with these type of questions.

“We look at other teams: the (San Antonio) Spurs dynasty (NBA) and the sustained success they’ve had – yes they’ve won four or five chips, but for us it’s about that sustained success and that’s when you gain a lot of respect.

“You look at a team like Geelong – yes they haven’t won a premiership since ’11, but to be in the finals for the last nine years is probably more of achievement if anything.

“We have the leadership group, we have leaders who drive standards each day.

“We have a great coach in Goody who’s young but is so motivated and hungry to put Melbourne back on the map where it was in the 50s and 60s.

“For us, being a young group, seeing what we did last year and achieving it, and I think as well, realising how quick the turnaround was.

“Everyone’s just buying in and having a lot of fun.”

To hear more from Petracca, listen to the radio interview below: