JAKE Melksham says the birth of his daughter Frankie last January, during his 12-month suspension, couldn’t have come at a better time.

Speaking at AAMI Park on Friday, Melksham said having a child was “a really good distraction”.

“It took my mind off everything and put everything into perspective,” he said.

“This year has been really good for me and I got to spend every day with her and I haven’t missed a thing with her.

“Now she’s probably sitting at home wondering where I am.”

Melksham said if he didn’t have Frankie, he wouldn’t have known what to do.

“Who knows what I would’ve been doing,” he said.

“I would’ve rebelled a little bit and been pretty bitter about things, but [having Frankie] just kept me in a good, positive frame of mind.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the year with my daughter and my partner.”

Melksham said joining Melbourne from Essendon in October 2015 gave him a head start, as he got to know the players and staff, and build some relationships before the much-publicised ban was imposed.

“I had a little girl a week before the ban and that’s kept me pretty busy for the year,” he said.

“I went away and worked as a labourer for four months of the year and then I went away for two months and spent some time in America and Bali.

“I just spent the rest of the time preparing for pre-season.”

Melksham said he wouldn’t take anything for granted anymore.

“It’s been a long time coming. This year took a while to get through at times, but it also went really quickly, so I’m really excited to be out here with the boys and in training,” he said.