Essendon coach Brad Scott wants supporters of his revitalised club to keep the proverbial lid on.
Scott, in his first five games as Essendon's coach, has overseen four wins and a loss.
The latest victory was a comprehensive 27-point triumph - 15.14 (104) to 11.11 (77) - against Melbourne, a club rated among the premiership favourites.
But Scott says the Bombers fans shouldn't yet be getting carried away with the early-season achievements.
"There is so much to play out," he said.
"Melbourne are still clearly a contender.
"If we provide that level of effort and be consistent, we can be competitive with good sides.
"We are still nowhere near where we want to be and it's going to take us some time."
But Scott couldn't hide his pride at Essendon's Gather Round win over the Demons at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
"We have been working on all facets of our game, it has been steadily improving," he said.
"But the non-negotiable is just the effort and intent and it was there in spades.
"What the competition is telling everyone is if you're at your best you are really capable on the day - if the opposition is a little bit off, you're a chance."
Scott was particularly pleased for ex-captain Dyson Heppell, who was a steadying influence with 16 disposals and seven marks after some pundits questioned if the 30-year-old's days at the elite level were numbered.
"I was just so happy for him because he has been under some intense scrutiny," Scott said.
"And it just speaks to the quality of the competitor that he is, that he could play as well as he did.
"If he was stung (by criticism) you wouldn't know. He just absorbs it and moves on.
"I have talked about the intangible nature of how important he is to our group.
"The thing about being a senior player is you still need to perform - he and I have spoken a lot about that.
"He is such a competitor that he is going to give everything that he's got."
