FOR A club with so many highly-rated young players, the need for a mentor and guiding force would be one of Melbourne's top priorities.

And no one fits the bill quite like vice-captain Jared Rivers.

After playing three games in his debut season in 2003, Rivers went on to win the AFL Rising Star in 2004. Naturally, he was regarded as one of the brightest young prospects in the game but injuries cruelled three of his next four years and he struggled to cope with the expectations of officially being labelled a rising star.

It's a memory that lasts with him as he provides leadership for Melbourne's legion of highly-rated young players.

"It's a tough caper, footy. Blokes come out these days better prepared for it. When you face injury, get dropped, suspended or go through some bad form, it can play with you a bit," Rivers told melbournefc.com.au.

"It's about letting them know you've really got to work hard and be strong throughout the footy season mentally and physically. It is a tough caper and a lot of our senior players give the boys some great advice. The guys want to learn and improve quickly which is what we're all about."

It is all part of Rivers' brief these days at the Demons, where he is now one of the club's older heads.

Inducted to the leadership group last season, Rivers was appointed joint vice-captain along with Aaron Davey and Brent Moloney for 2011.

Rivers has taken it upon himself to lead the team's defensive unit, which he says is becoming tighter with each passing week.

"I'm one of the old boys at the club. It's a role I enjoy. Grimesy (Jack Grimes) is out with injury, which is disappointing for him and also a loss to the leadership group," he said.

"But [James] Frawley and Garlo (Colin Garland) are starting to speak up and take charge now. It's been great. I try to stay in the background and keep them on their toes and make sure everyone's doing the right thing. The backline group is pretty tight down there. We all give instruction and feedback to each other."

The Demons are at a crucial point in their season, finding themselves sitting one game out of the top eight with Hawthorn, Geelong, Carlton and West Coast to come in the next month.

Rivers said the club was preparing itself for the tough block ahead and knows it has to address a tendency to fall away after teams get a good start against them.    
"We play four really good teams in the next four weeks. If we can win a couple of those games then we might be able to play finals. It'd be good for us to get a few more wins on the board," he said.

"It has been frustrating when we fall away as a playing group. We have talked about that. Hopefully you won't see that for the rest of the year and we will be competitive."

Luke Holmesby covers Melbourne news for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_LHolmesby.