COLIN Garland says he took a significant step in his leadership this year and felt comfortable to make his mark on the club.

Garland, officially part of Melbourne’s leadership group for the past two years, took his game to another level in 2013, when he finished second in the club’s best and fairest to back-to-back winner Nathan Jones.

The Tasmanian said having such a young group at the club meant that he and several longer severing members of Melbourne needed to lead the way.

“Having such a young group, it’s your time – myself, Nathan Jones and James Frawley. If we’re not the voice for the playing group, then who’s it going to be?” Garland told melbournefc.com.au.

“As you mature and as you age and you’re at a place a bit longer, you’re comfortable in yourself and your own point of views increases.

“For me, being myself and the way I see the world and the way I see the club, I feel is the way that the club needs to go. It’s just about trying to impress that on the coaching staff, the players and the way I play.”

But Garland said the leadership group made encouraging progress during 2013 under the guidance of former interim coach Neil Craig and backline coach Jade Rawlings.

“As a leadership group, we’ve really grown in that sense. When we first came together as a young group, we were listening a lot to Craigy (Neil Craig) and Jade [Rawlings], who were running the leadership program,” he said.

“It’s real debate and some honest, around the table conversations that we have in there, which just comes with maturity.

“The more you’re at the club, the more you love the place and you get sick of where you’re at. It’s just realising that if it’s not me, who else is it going to be at the Melbourne footy club?”