JACK Trengove says he couldn’t be more motivated to start pre-season training with the Demons.    

Although Trengove has already started training – after missing most of the season with a foot injury and taking time off during 2014 – he was champing at the bit to get back into the game, after being sidelined from round five this year.

“You never want to go through a season where you’re injured for the majority of it,” he told Dee TV.

“I did it the wrong way and got through the whole pre-season fit and healthy and then the games started rolling out and that’s when the foot came up and I had to get surgery.

“Looking back, it’s really annoying that I couldn’t be part of the games and the day to day stuff, but at the same time it was a bit of a relief to know that there was something wrong that I could get fixed.

“I’ve got to look at all of the positives and try and become a better player because of it and still have an impact on the boys from week to week.”

Despite being dropped after round two, and suffering his injury after his second match with Casey, the former co-captain was not one to dwell on his tough start to the year.  

“I’m one to look at the positives and footy can be a bit of a roller-coaster at times. I don’t want to get dropped at all – at any stage of your life, in whatever you do – but these things happen sometimes. In the end, it will make you a better and stronger person because of it,” Trengove said.  

“I sat down with Roosy (Paul Roos) that week and we spoke about a few different options and thought of the idea of going back and trying to find some form at Casey. I went down there and I couldn’t really prove too much, because it was only a couple of weeks and that’s when the injury came up.

“It was just one of those things and it’s a part of footy and it’s a great learning experience and it’s one of those situations where you almost need something bad to happen to make you a better person because of it.

“It was one of those ones – it’s just a shame I couldn’t prove a point – because I was injured just after that.”

Although Trengove made just two appearances for Melbourne in 2014 – after 79 from 88 matches in his first four seasons – he said the opportunity to get away from the game during the year gave him great perspective.

Trengove took an overseas trip to Europe and watched his sister Jess run for Australia in the Commonwealth Games marathon in Glasgow – something he’ll never forget.

“It was an amazing experience to be a part of and it was something I was very thankful for the club for allowing me to go over there and do that,” he said.

“It’s something that I would never be able to experience if I wasn’t in that situation. There was a bit of silver lining to it all, [although] it was a frustrating season, but at the same point in time, I couldn’t be more excited about next year.”

Trengove said being away from the AFL showed him that there was “more to life than just footy”.

“When you’re in season or in pre-season training … you almost get to a point where you do get caught in the footy bubble. You think everything in the world is only footy, so it’s weird to sit back and not be a part of a football season,” he said.

“I’ve never been out with a long-term injury and to sit on the sidelines the whole time and watch and not be a part of it is foreign territory for me. I got my chance to go overseas and you certainly do come back with a different look on life.

“I understand that there is more out there than the hard day to day life that footy can be at times.”

But Trengove said he also appreciated how “very lucky” he was to be playing his chosen sport at the highest level.

“There are plenty of people living in different countries doing different things – and they’d do anything to be in our positions – so at the same time, you get a perspective of the whole world,” he said.

“You also appreciate how lucky we are and that’s been one of my big motivating factors now – I’m so excited to get back and do what I love doing, because it’s been taken away from me for a year now.”