SIMON Goodwin is amidst the most testing stage of his coaching career as Melbourne has underperformed to this point of the year, but he is certainly embracing the challenge.

The Demons secured an important victory against Hawthorn on Saturday – their second win from seven games – but Goodwin isn’t shying away from the pressure.

“Every year is a little bit different, but this is a challenge that I’ve really actually looked forward to,” Goodwin said on SEN’s Whateley on Monday morning.

“These are the times where you can really learn the most about yourself – as a coach, first and foremost. There’s been some great reflections for myself that moving forward I’ll be able to use.”

Melbourne has faced plenty of obstacles early in the year, with issues on and off the field impacting the side’s performance.

But Goodwin is still looking to make something of 2019.

“It’s a great challenge to unify a club when you’re one (win) and five (losses), to really pick up and reestablish what we want to stand for and work really hard towards that,” he said.

“I’ve enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to do that.”

While sitting 16^th on the ladder is not ideal, Goodwin knows his group is willing to put in the hard yards to improve.

“[I’m] working with a playing group that’s highly competitive and they know where they can get to, so that’s a really important starting point,” he said.

“They know the standard and they also know the potential. It’s just really reengaging that. Showing them a pathway forward, giving them some solutions and … reminding them of the standard that’s required in this game.

“It’s such a ruthless competition that if you’re not at your best, and we aren’t doing all the things that are required to be a good team, then you suffer the results that we have.”

Melbourne hasn’t been able to recapture its form from the backend of last season, but the club is fully aware of where it’s at.

“In the early stages of the year you’re looking for little tinkering’s to find a way forward, but I think then reality really kicked in that we weren’t playing anywhere near the level that we wanted to play,” Goodwin said.

“I think that was the key driver, the reality had finally kicked in.”