MELBOURNE has ended its pre-season fixture with a 58-point win over Hawthorn at Casey Fields.

The Dees made a return to their home deck on Saturday afternoon and with dominant opening and closing terms, finished the day with a 8.16 (64) to 0.6 (6) win.  

Goals to Casey Sherriff, Eden Zanker and Alyssa Bannan got the scoreboard rolling and Melbourne began to look ominous in the first quarter.

The Hawks started to match the pressure of the home side and a contested battled played out in the next half, before the Dees put away the win with four consecutive goals in the final term.

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Zanker, who collected four goals, said the group was excited by the opportunity to face a new competitor.

“It was great to have a hit-out with Hawthorn,” Zanker told Melbourne Media.

“It was good to play against some new people and a new team."

The tall forward was strong inside 50, using the game to display her aerial contests and ability to execute in front of goals. 

“I think I’ve been able to dial in on what I want to achieve – providing a contest and being an option down the line has been emphasised this pre-season," Zanker said. 

“It was good to finally get out and have a good burst of that, with some reward for effort.”

The Demons will now prepare for the season-opening match against Collingwood on Friday 1 September.

The stage will be set for a tough contest at IKON Park, with Melbourne beginning its premiership defence campaign. 

“We’re so excited,” Zanker said.

“We’re setting our eyes on Round 1 now and it’s going to be a big stepping stone as to where we want to be [this year].”

Tickets to all matches of the 2023 season, including the Round 1 blockbuster, are now available here.