It's Miller time for Melbourne

It was no coincidence Melbourne's drought-breaking win over Fremantle in Round 7 just happened to occur at the same time as strong-marking forward Brad Miller chose to produce his best game of the season.

The talented, but inconsistent, key forward is so often the barometer of his team - when Miller plays well the Demons inevitably win but the problem for both is it has been all too infrequent in recent times.

And knowing the importance of Miller to a successful Melbourne outfit, new Demons coach Dean Bailey has put the heat on the aggressive Queenslander to be a lot more consistent.

"He (Miller) knows he has great responsibility and the players expect him to play like he did last week (against Fremantle) every week because he has certainly got it in him," Bailey said.

Miller's best performances, and most consistent football, come when he is stationed in the forward line. He has had success in defence, but looks a natural centre half-forward.

There are few players in the AFL capable of such highs and lows as Miller, who too often in his 97-game career has had little influence on matches only to then produce the occasional inspirational performance when he plays like one of the best key forwards in the AFL.

And when Miller does do that a Demons' victory is almost guaranteed.

As the Demons lost the first six matches this season, Miller had little influence before dominating against Fremantle when he gathered 18 disposals, 10 marks and three goals to inspire the Demons' incredible come-from-behind win.

It was his best game since playing a lone hand in the 2006 semi-final loss to Fremantle in Perth when he 19 disposals, 14 marks and a goal and again it was no coincidence that the Demons struggled last season as Miller also struggled - apart from the odd cameo like the last-round win over Carlton when he inspired the Demons to victory with 11 marks.

In 2004 when Miller had his best season - missing just one game - the Demons made the finals and again in 2005 and 2006, the club's best performances was when Miller dominated such as the Rounds 7 and 20 wins over Fremantle and the Kangaroos respectively and the Round 1 and Round 12 demolitions of arch-rivals Essendon and Collingwood in 2005.

Bailey, who takes his team to Adelaide on Sunday for a difficult match against the Crows as the Demons try to build on the momentum of their much-needed win against Fremantle, says Miller is determined to become the player he is certainly capable of being.

"I think he is very focused this year," Bailey said of Miller, in the lead-up to Sunday's match at AAMI Stadium.

"When we started pre-season he presented in a really fit state and during the pre-season he only missed about five percent of the total training."

"So he is very fit and very determined but he got a week suspension then came back and struggled against Brisbane (in Round 6) but then the Fremantle game arrived."

Bailey said Miller's promotion to the leadership group this year made the big Queenslander realise he was now one of the Demons' most important players.

"Being in the leadership group has been good for him and has really re-focused him," Bailey said.

Now the Demons and their new coach will be just hoping Miller can re-produce his dominance against Fremantle on a more regular basis and if that happens then the Demons will soon get off the bottom of the ladder if recent history is anything to go by.