Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says Ben Brown will take time to find his feet in a new forward line, having kicked two goals on club debut against his former AFL side North Melbourne.
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Brown underwent knee surgery in February, meaning his first chance to don the red and blue came in Hobart on Sunday.
It was also the key forward's first game since round 10 of the 2020 season.
Brown's first goal as a Demon was an opportunistic effort off the ground during the second quarter, while his go-ahead goal in the third term was exactly the sort of thing that helped achieve cult hero status at the Kangaroos.
"It's going to take some time, the cohesion side of things," Goodwin said after the Demons extended their undefeated start to 2021.
"We've seen that with new players coming to our footy club, like Jake Lever and Steven May. It takes time.
"Ben competed really strongly, especially as the game went on.
"He'll just keep getting better and better, the more that he plays with his teammates and understands how we want to play."
Goodwin added that fellow forward Sam Weideman, who has recently impressed at VFL level, is "putting enormous pressure on" and making selection "really tough".
Brown, who needed stitches after a fourth-quarter clash of heads with Josh Walker, was relieved to grab bragging rights and four premiership points after his first game as a Demon.
"It was just good we got the win," he told the club website.
"It was a bit weird running around in different colours, but great to get the first one out of the way.
"A lot to learn for me. It's been a bit of a comeback trail; not playing footy for a while."
Brown said he had no concussion symptoms after the head knock.
North coach David Noble praised his side's defence for doing "an exceptional job" on their former teammate.
"It wasn't Ben who beat us," Noble said. "We handled him exceptionally well."
Australian Associated Press
