Melbourne hope their decision to take a 25-man squad to Darwin five days prior to their Round 17 clash helps them gain a competitive edge over the Brisbane Lions. 

The Demons left for the Top End on Tuesday afternoon so they could acclimatise to the hot and humid conditions of Darwin. 

Previously, they have arrived on a Thursday in preparation for the Saturday night contest. 

“The heat will definitely be a bit of a difference, but we feel as though we’ve prepared well for it and we know what we’re in for," Co-Captain Jack Trengrove told melbournefc.com.au. 

“It can get pretty wet up there at times, so from that aspect, we should be pretty well prepared after the Geelong game.”

Trengove also said that his side is well prepared to take on the in-form Lions. 

“They’ve been tough opponents, but Brisbane is certainly in form, having beaten the Kangaroos last weekend - and they beat Geelong a few weeks back.

“We feel that any team we come up against, if we play the way we want to, we’re a real show, and that’s definitely the case this week. The boys have done a lot of homework on Brisbane with their strengths and weaknesses.”

Although Trengove didn’t attend Melbourne’s pre-season camp last December due to injury, he said that the response from his teammates following the trip had been positive.  

“We feel it’s a bit of a competitive advantage, having been up there and gone through that camp and lived and breathed those conditions for 10 days,” Trengove said.

“The last couple of weeks, we’ve been popping into the altitude room and turning the heaters on and doing a few bike sessions in there to try and adjust.

“We’re definitely not scared about what the conditions will hold for us.”