A brilliant young Melbourne team electrified the MCG on Saturday afternoon, against the odds outrunning and outclassing Hawthorn to win by 29 points.

No football fan wants to hear their team is rebuilding, but today Demons supporters glimpsed a future filled with speed, talent and dare, and must have started to believe it had all been worthwhile.

Jack Viney was extraordinary for Melbourne through the centre, notching up 39 disposals. But even more heartening was how they found each other around the ground and the promising performances of their very youngest players, including Sam Weiderman in his first ever AFL game.

It was the end of a nine-game winning streak for Hawthorn and last year's premiers will be left to wonder how the match got away from them. They would also leave the 'G with injury clouds over several players, including captain Luke Hodge.

Melbourne showed they could more than match it with the best right from in the first term, reaching the break 11 points up.

Dees fans were elated with their young team, who were fast and looked confident against the three-time reigning champions, right from the start.

Weideman showed lots of potential in the forward line. Nine minutes in, he took a lovely contested mark right in front of goal, pulling the ball out of the air and hugging it to his chest. He read the play better than anyone else and 15m out, on a tight angle he went back and goaled.

His teammates crowded around him and the 19-year-old could not take the smile off his face.

Jack Watts too was good in front of goal, taking two strong marks in the Dees forward 50 and kicking truly.

Hawthorn are too good and too experienced to feel unnerved by the young challengers, although they cannot have expected to be losing at quarter-time.

They narrowed the margin in the second quarter, adding a bit of extra punch into that practiced brand of Hawthorn football but Melbourne was tenacious.

The Hawks got off to a roaring start in the third, led by the uncommon brilliance of Cyril Rioli. Demons fans booed the champion, after what they saw as a high bump that went unpunished in the first half, but if anything it urged Rioli on. Two minutes in he kicked a centring ball from the boundary line, setting up Jack Gunston to goal.

Later he got one of his own, with breathtaking poise on the run from 50m out.

But at the other end of the ground Melbourne were exciting, dynamic and at times something close to polished.

GWS recruit Tomas Bugg somehow found the goal, soccering the ball out of the air and Gawn took with a juggled contested mark, goaled from 45m out on a slight angle to level the score.

When they went into the last break six points up, the very unlikely started to look quite possible – in round 20, eleventh on the ladder could very well beat the team on the top.

The sure-footed Rioli booted another goal from a set shot 45m out to put the Hawks a point in front and the MCG erupted.

But the Dees' Billy Stretch and Bugg booted two in quick succession and a "Melbourne, Melbourne" chant spread around the ground.

It is incredible what confidence can do for a team.

With just minutes left in the final term Watts managed a toe poke to Dom Tyson, who sealed the win with a classy over the shoulder snap shot and goal from nearly on the boundary line.

Another Tyson goal in the dying moments was icing on the cake.

This may not be the Demons' year, but all signs suggest they would have one, and soon.