MELBOURNE had just guaranteed that its 12-year finals hiatus was over when its players kicked the coaches out of the changerooms for a heart-to-heart conversation.

The "players-only" chat took place in the immediate aftermath of the side's round 23 victory over the Giants at the MCG – a win that not only sealed a fifth-place finish for the Demons, but also acted as a sign of the side's September intent.

With just four players involved in that game having finals experience, the group of young Melbourne players wanted to ensure that everyone knew what would be expected of them over the next fortnight – and hopefully beyond.

"We pretty much said that what has happened has happened," Melbourne midfielder James Harmes told AFL.com.au.

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"We put it behind us. It's been a good year for us, but this is what we play footy for – to win finals. It's like a new start to the season, so we'll start here and see where we can go."

Led by Jordan Lewis, the most senior Melbourne player set to take part in Friday night's elimination final against Geelong, the meeting outlined how the side would spend its weekend off planning and training for the do-or-die contest.

Despite having 23 finals appearances to his name – and four premierships – not even Lewis has taken part in a September campaign that featured a pre-finals bye weekend. Therefore, preparation is everything.

"We spoke about it straight away after the GWS win," Dees forward Jake Melksham said.

"We sat in the rooms, just the players only, and we spoke about what was expected over the next couple of weeks – having the week off and how we prepare for the game.

"Jordan's obviously been around and he's done that a fair bit. Everyone has been all ears and we'll take as much advice from him as we can."

Lewis has played an integral role in Melbourne's surge towards September, not just on-field but also in guiding its younger players through a testing season.

The 32-year-old was an influential voice in the post-match meeting, and his younger Melbourne teammates are expecting him to be just as important on Friday night.

"He's been massive," Harmes said.

"He's played 23 finals, so it's nearly a season worth of finals. His knowledge of how finals are won, it's been massive.

"He's been running a few meetings, just talking us through it. He's a great player, so we expect him to have a good game this weekend."