Victory hold a 2-0 lead going into the second leg after their triumph at Hindmarsh Stadium.

While the pundits might see the tie already being as good as over, Merrick will stress how crucial it is not to lose focus.

He said: "The job's not finished, we've got a long way to go. Straight away we will be right into recovery, the boys will be up early doing another session. We'll have Monday off then straight back into it. I think this team has showed this discipline all the way along."

Carlos Hernandez set Melbourne on the way to victory at Hindmarsh with a rasping strike off the underside of the crossbar and Merrick is delighted with the contribution and conditioning of the Cost Rican at this stage.

He said: "Carlos is at the highest level of fitness he has been, since he's been with us.

"We knew Paul Reid will be marking him, we made him mix it, up, come to feet, come off at angles, and get behind them. When Carlos gets the turn he's absolutely deadly. He's one of the quickest in the team over five metres.

"Because he has that weight on his backside, He's really good at holding off defenders and turning them. His control and shooting was just first class."