Melbourne backed up its thumping of Sydney with a hard-fought 10-point victory over Brisbane but while coach Dean Bailey will gladly take the scrappy win he's not thinking about finals.

The Demons charged out of the gate against the slow-starting Lions side, and with some characteristic quick ball movement they dominated the first half to take a five-goal lead at the major break.

But in a dramatic second half fade, the Dees could manage only two majors as the Lions dug deep to close to within a goal in the dying stages of the final term.

After a razzle dazzle performance last weekend, the Demons weren't nearly as pretty to watch, but according to Bailey when your club hasn't had much recent success every win is a good one.

"We played well last week and it was going to be a challenge as to how we respond this week," Bailey said.

"To travel interstate and come to the Gabba where we don't perform that well and our history isn't great, for us to get a win and play well is very important."

"We haven't won too many games in the last two and a half years so I'll take every single one of them.

"Believe me, every one that we get will be special for the effort and commitment the players put in," he said.

Melbourne's fast-paced performances in victory have some punters tipping them as dark horses to hold the momentum and sneak into the top eight by season's end, but Bailey was keeping a lid on talk of a finals charge.

With games yet to be played in the round, Melbourne sits in 10th place, six points adrift of the eighth-placed Swans, yet Bailey says his young-side wouldn't be looking any further than its next opponent.

"I don't think (it's tempting to think about finals). We've got to play Richmond next week and our focus is Richmond. We need to get to the game next week and play well."

"It's a week to week proposition and as long as you keep winning, and competing and winning quarters, which is what we've been trying to achieve and we just need to focus on that."

"Any other distraction is purely that and we need to play well next week, because we need to keep the momentum going from what we've done in the last two weeks," he said.

"We don't talk about (finals), because we've got a game next week. You can talk about it and write it, but we have been, and we continue to be, about getting better as a club."

Though no doubt delighted by the away victory, after a two-goal second half Bailey and the Demons have plenty of work to do if they are to rise to the standard of the top sides and hold on to their slim finals chances.

For Brisbane however, the situation is bleaker. Their 13th loss in 14 contests has Michael Voss and the Lions playing-group frustrated and angry after lapses were again the perceived downfall.

Voss paid tribute to the Demons' first-half execution and couldn't fault the drive and desire shown by his own players, but after it looked like the Lions would steal it at the death, the agonising defeat was clearly hard-felt.

"I said to them after the game that I thought it was the first time in eight or nine weeks where they had genuine will to want to win," Voss said.

"It had been absent in its truest form for quite a while and to miss out on that opportunity has been a bit disappointing."

"There are a lot of good things to take away, but there's still that window that we're leaving ajar for sides to be able to put that run on us."

"As far as the feeling and mood of the place, there's probably a little bit of anger that they couldn't finish the job," said Voss.

"Due credit to Melbourne. They were able to lift that intensity at the right time and in the end that proved just enough for them to get over the line."

"Melbourne are going ok; they've dismantled a pretty good side in the Swans last week, and we were heading in the right path, but they're going pretty well.

"They've got some good ball users, and they've got some youth coming through so they're going to be an exciting bunch to watch in years to come."

The Demons escaped injury free, but in further blows to the Lions, Xavier Clarke limped off with a hamstring injury in his return to the AFL, while the under-performing Brendan Fevola was still battlinghis groin injury.