Senior coach Ben Rutten concedes the Bombers’ start to the year hasn’t been ideal, but says his young side has as lot to learn from its first three opponents.

Having already faced preliminary finalist Geelong and semi-finalist Brisbane, and with reigning premier Melbourne to come, the Bombers have one of the toughest fixtures to open the season.

Despite starting the year with two defeats, Rutten said his side was confident it could turn its season around.

“It’s certainly not the ideal start for us in terms of wins and losses but certainly one we’re not losing any belief about,” Rutten said on AFL 360.

“As I mentioned before, we are not the finished product as a team and we are going to use the course of the season to continue to improve and that’s kind of the nature of the early part of the season.”

The Bombers return to the Friday night stage this week to face the Demons, who have continued their winning form from last year with victories over the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast.

Rutten said it would be beneficial for Essendon to play benchmark sides early in the year to help it learn what it takes to be the best in the competition.

“There’s a small sample size (early in the season) and teams are still working out how the game’s going, what’s their best game style, what their best line-up looks like, and we have another really good opportunity this week with Melbourne,” he said.

“We are a team that aspires to be like Geelong, Brisbane, Richmond, Melbourne as well, and our guys are really hungry to be one of those teams.

“So to be able to play them in the early stages of the season, our guys are really looking forward to it and Melbourne is probably no bigger challenge or opportunity than you can get at the moment.”

One thing that stands out for Rutten about Melbourne is its team-first mentality, especially through its star-studded midfield.

With the likes of Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney rotating through stoppages, Rutten said the key to the Dees' success was their selflessness.

“I think what we enjoy about Melbourne at the moment is their selflessness,” he said.

“If Petracca is getting sat on and not having a good day, he will work for Oliver and make sure he has a good day. So I think that’s what we are seeing out of them and Richmond over the past five years.”

The Bombers will take on Melbourne on Friday night at the MCG, with the first bounce at 7:20pm.