With the first month of the AFL season drawing to a close, narratives for all of the competition's 18 teams have begun to arise.

Whilst some are struggling and others are thriving, you can bet your bottom dollar that each of the league's list of polo shirt wearing pedagogues will still be desperate for improvement this weekend.

With this in mind, here are the key quandaries facing every AFL club ahead of Round 4.

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Melbourne

Can they maintain their start to the season?

So far, so good for my pre-season predictions about how Melbourne would fare in the season's first month.

Still, seeing is believing, and what is playing out should be a sight for the sore eyes of every Demon diehard.

For anybody that has sat down and watched Melbourne's first three weeks of the season, one thing is abundantly clear โ€“ their back six is football's answer to Fort Knox.

Over the first trio of rounds, Simon Goodwin's backline has conceded the second least number of points in the competition with just 66.3 per game.

This line, led by twin pillars Steven May and Jake Lever, has allowed the class further afield to consistently hammer the ball inside 50 at a competition leading rate. With Ben Brown and Sam Weideman to return from injury, their ability to capitalize on these entries should realistically rise in the weeks to come.

Some may argue that the Dees have faced three teams that are well below their benchmark โ€“ Fremantle, St. Kilda and GWS โ€“ but with a bronze medal for the greatest number of tackles in the AFL this year, credit must be given to the red and the blue boys for strangling their opponents.

The challenge ahead of Goodwin's men is set to rise this weekend, with the Demons fixtured to face Geelong. However, if the same level of intensity is brought and the former Fuchsias counter the Cats' meticulous offensive style with pace, then a perfect month could be on the cards.

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