RUCKMAN Mark Jamar says he feels rejuvenated since returning to the Melbourne side and playing under coach Paul Roos.

Jamar, who has played the past three matches and had 53 hit outs last round – two shy of career-best figures – after an interrupted pre-season, said he had relished playing under Roos and producing some strong form upon his comeback.

“It’s been good to be back in the team, especially playing under Roosy – I’ve really been enjoying it. To be able to contribute to the team has been really good,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“The confidence you get from the current coaching group – it’s outstanding and they back you in and they give you responsibility.

“They treat us like men and they’ve been fantastic and I’ve really enjoyed it. I hope I can continue to be a part of this team for a long time to come, because I’m really enjoying the environment at the club.

 “I’m really enjoying our new game plan and I think it’s reignited the fire in the belly.”

Jamar, who battled several niggling injuries, including a calf problem at the start of the season, said he had worked hard to regain his fitness.

“I played three in the VFL and really struggled for fitness in the VFL and then I was a little bit unfit in my first game back, but the last two weeks my fitness has been good and I’ve been able to get around the ground and cover it a bit more,” he said.

“That’s been really pleasing for myself because as you get older, it’s nice to be able to run good amounts of kilometres in the game.

“The demands of the game grow every year, so it’s good to be able to compete and have an impact in the ruck, while playing longer game time and running further each week.”

Still, Jamar said having built up such a fitness base for more than a decade had proved invaluable to his return.

“I had no pre-season really, but the fact that I’ve done 12 or 13 [pre-seasons] helps you as you get older,” he said.

“You can do as many pre-seasons as you like, but five minutes into the first game of the year and every single player is absolutely stuffed, so there’s only so much training you can do.

“You get most of your fitness in games. The boys that have got the pre-season behind them – they can recover a lot quicker and they can run a lot faster and a lot longer. But someone like myself, I’ve had to build up my fitness in the games, because I’ve had no pre-season.”

Although Jamar has averaged an impressive 42 hit outs in his first three matches this year, he is eager to increase his disposals in the coming weeks.

“I’m not playing as well as I’d like yet – I’m getting my hand on the footy and that’s something I have to bring every week regardless – but I still think I’ve got a bit of improvement left,” he said.

“As the fitness builds and as things get a bit better from a conditioning point of view, I’ll be able to do a bit better again.

“The reality is I only had the six touches on the weekend, but I’d love to be able to have 10, 12 or 14 touches – that’s my next progression, as well as still tackling and winning my ruck hit outs.”

Looking ahead to this Saturday’s clash against Richmond at the MCG, Jamar said the Demons were determined to bounce back from last round’s close loss to the Bulldogs.

“It is a big game for Melbourne and Richmond – they’d love to have a win and we’re desperate for a win,” he said.

“We had the winning feeling against Adelaide and unfortunately we couldn’t come away with it on the weekend.

“It’d be great to be able to put ourselves in a position to have a win this Saturday.”