COLIN Garland says his passion for the club remains at an all-time high and he is desperate to help the Demons rise again.

Garland, who finished second in Melbourne’s best and fairest in 2013, said he was driven to help the club turnaround its fortunes as the Paul Roos era starts.

Although he said “motivation was an individual thing”, he added that forming strong bonds with teammates, coaches and staff was what would drive the club back up the ladder.  

“Motivation for supporters is the new coach [Paul Roos] and he’ll be selling the message. Motivation for me is that I’ve played 100-odd games and I’ve had 20-odd wins, and the people I play with and the relationships that you form,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“In the end, it’s hard to define a club, but the club ultimately defines the people that are in it at the time – staff, players and coaches. They’re the people that drive me and that’s the thing that drives me.

“I just want the club to play finals and I don’t want the membership department to have to struggle to get members and I don’t want the media department to have to deal with off-field dramas. That’s what drives me.”

Garland said he was desperate for his teammates – particularly those around his age and experience – to achieve success.

“I want to see Nathan Jones get success,” he said.

“People talk about Robbie Flower, in the sense that he played through the hard years and he’s similar to Nathan Jones – a guy like that, who puts his heart on his sleeve and is loyal to the club. That’s what drives me and gives me optimism. 

“I’m in a privileged position as a player and person at the club – I see how much potential we’ve got here.”

Garland was confident Melbourne had the talent and list being built to make a genuine impact in the near future.

“Guys like [Jesse] Hogan, [Chris] Dawes and [Mitch] Clark – I’d hate to play as a backman on those three talls. And then you’ve got [Jeremy] Howe, [Jack] Watts and Dean Kent,” he said.

“I see so much optimism in the team and your mates are what drives you through the pre-season and what drives you through 10 or 11 losses in a row. Hopefully, that’s going to be the sweetest thing at the end of it [a premiership].

“That’s what keeps us going the whole time, I feel. We haven’t been broken yet, so I don’t think we’re going to get broken at all, so that’s what keeps me motivated and jumping out of the bed every morning.”