JAKE Melksham’s four-goal heroics on Saturday night shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The 30-year-old has put in a mountain of work to secure his spot in Melbourne’s best 22 and put himself in the best position to win games for his side.

In Round 22, he did just that, helping the Demons secure a clutch five-point victory over Carlton.

“I love it,” Melksham told Melbourne Media post-game.

“I’m back playing a role that really suits my strengths and I feel like I’ve been building the last month since I’ve come into the team.

“It was really good to put together a decent performance tonight.”

After managing 12 games for the Demons in 2021, Melksham lined up for his eighth match of 2022 this weekend.

And while it hasn’t been a smooth ride for the small forward, he is beginning to seek the rewards.

“When you go through phases in your career when things aren’t going to plan, you’ve just got to keep sticking to your task and sticking to what you know,” Melksham said.

“Goody’s put a lot of faith in me these last five or six weeks to go out there and play a role, and also hit the scoreboard and put my natural strengths and flare on show.

“I feel like I’m repaying the faith at the moment, but I just want to keep doing it each week and see where this team can go this year.”

The Dees’ most recent victory has put them in a strong position heading into the final match of the home and away season, and Melksham, who missed last year’s finals campaign, couldn’t be hungrier to keep the momentum going.

“You want to be winning heading into finals regardless of where you’re sitting on the ladder,” he said.

“We need that home final, we want that home final.

“We look forward to going up to Brisbane next week and playing a really good team and going and doing it all again.”