THIS week, Luke Tapscott will play his fifth consecutive match in a row.

That news hardly seems earth shattering. But dig deeper into Tapscott’s career and it’s an indicator that he’s on the right track.

No one can question Tapscott’s talent, versatility or hardness. His aggression, in particular, is seen as an asset for the Demons. But injuries have niggled away in his first three seasons, although there are genuine signs that he might’ve just turned the corner.

“I’m feeling great at the moment. I’ve got just the footy wear and tear from each game. Everything that I’ve had operated on and the troubles I’ve had in the past have been great, touch wood,” Tapscott told melbournefc.com.au.

“Consistency was my main aim over pre-season and it still is now. It was my best pre-season by far, even though I still missed a bit. I hadn’t started a pre-season before Christmas, pretty much, before this year, so I got a lot out of it.

“It’s good fun being out on the park and it’s a lot better than having interrupted years, as I have in the past. It’s only early in the season, but it’s looking good and I’m playing some OK footy and I’m really enjoying it.”

After being drafted from North Adelaide at No. 18 in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft, Tapscott didn’t make his first appearance until round 14, 2010, when he played for Casey.

Until then, he had had been sidelined with a hip injury.

He managed to play eight matches in the VFL during 2010, before a shoulder injury sidelined him in the round 22 equivalent in the VFL. 

It wasn’t until round one, 2011, that Tapscott made his AFL debut. From that point, he managed to play eight matches in a row, from the opening match of the season through to round nine (round five was a bye).

Five matches were missed through injury (four with a hamstring and one with soreness), when he finished the season with 15 matches.

He added another 14 appearances in 2012, but a one match suspension, two games sidelined with a groin injury, plus a week as an emergency and three others in the VFL added to a disjointed season.

But the fact that Tapscott has missed just one match so far this season – he was relegated after round one for one match with Casey, where he booted six goals – has been a positive.

Even returning to the VFL in round two was now “definitely” a blessing in disguise, according to Tapscott.

“I think when I went back and played for Casey, I got a lot of confidence from that game. It taught me a lot … not to take every AFL game for granted,” he said.

“I looked at areas of my game that I needed to work on from last year and it’s really helping me at the moment. Neeldy (Mark Neeld) gave me pretty clear instructions of what he wanted me to do.

“I went back and did that, and he wanted me to play with a lot more speed and intensity and just play on instinct. That’s exactly what I did, so it’s working. I’m quite pleased that he made me do it in the end.”

But last round Tapscott was reported for making forceful high contact against Carlton midfielder Kade Simpson. The report was not taken further by the match review panel on the Monday, after it said there was no forceful high contact in the bump.

He said it was a “frustrating” situation to have his name taken during the match, as he played with aggression, but one he understood, given the changing nature of the game with impacts and collisions on players.

“It’s a big part of my game, and I’ve always enjoyed bringing [aggression] to the table. It all happened pretty quickly and that [aggression] is what I try to bring to the team,” he said.

“The rules that have come in now are to protect the players’ heads.

“The umpires are going to be cautious when it involves the head, but it is frustrating on game day, when it happened. But in the end, it was thrown out, so it was all good.”

Although he was drafted predominantly as a small forward, Tapscott has played in the midfield and down back for the Demons. But he believes it’s in attack where he’s best suited.

“I got drafted as a forward, and that’s where I enjoy playing my footy the most,” he said.

“I’m really enjoying it up forward at the moment and pinch-hitting through the midfield as well.

“I was also happy playing in the backline and learning a lot, but I’m happy in the forward line.”