The early going of season 2022 was looking to be a Melbourne cakewalk. Having won their opening 10 games, the talk was when they would lose a game.

By the end of the home and away season, Melbourne hit a wall losing six of its last ten to finish second on the ladder. Although battling through an inconsistent patch, expectations were that this talented group would be there on the last Saturday of September. This would be diminished within the space of two weeks, losing Sydney and Brisbane leaving a sour taste in their mouths.

Despite not fulfilling the ultimate goal, Melbourne is going to be right into the premiership conversation yet again. Adding former Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy and Western Bulldogs midfielder Lachie Hunter only strengthens an already imposing depth in its playing list.

Here we will go through the five burning questions surrounding how Melbourne will fare in 2023.

3. Can the Demons claim their second flag in three seasons?

Ten rounds into 2022, the Melbourne train was unstoppable. Then it slowly started dwindling, eventually exiting the finals in straight sets. Richmond had a similar fate. Winning the 2017 premiership only to exit a season later in the preliminary final, before winning the flag in 2019. There is an anticipatory feel Melbourne may reclaim the premiership cup in 2023. 

The pillars across the board are sound as ever. Possessing arguably the best backline with Steven May, Jake Lever, Harrison Petty, Christian Salem, Michael Hibberd and Angus Brayshaw, the Demons' back six is incredibly hard to expose.

A midfield that oozes class and grunt behind superstars Petracca and Oliver, hard nuts in Viney and James Harmes, and the tireless outside run of Ed Langdon are the most damaging of all 18 sides for a reason. 

Up forward, Melbourne has a vast variety of imposing tall timber, hybrid forwards, and terror-hungry smalls which make defending them a nightmare. From Ben Brown, Tom McDonald, Bayley Fritsch, Charlie Spargo, and Kysaiah Pickett, all on any given day can shred opposing defences into smithereens.

The premiership race has never been more wide open than ever before, and Melbourne is one of those hungry teams on the quest to reclaim the premiership.