MELBOURNE co-captain Jack Trengove is no fool.
 
The 20-year-old understood the huge responsibility he accepted in February when named co-captain alongside his 22-year-old teammate Jack Grimes in February.
 
Now, after six games without a win and, by his assessment, a patch of below par form, the demands that come with the title have become even clearer.  
 
And so has the scrutiny on the skippers, as the brouhaha surrounding the coach's decision to start both co-captains on the bench for the game against Geelong showed.
 
But Trengove is relishing the experience, accepting the challenge to provide what he calls 'unconditional leadership' and remain positive regardless of whether the team is winning or his own performance.
 
"Personally I haven't been in the best form [that] I would like to be in, but it is about me just remaining upbeat and making sure we are heading in the right direction, which I think we are," Trengove told AFL.com.au.
 
While he said he had become busier since becoming captain, he dismissed any notion that the job has influenced the way he is playing.

"Regardless of whether I was captain or not I would be pretty disappointed with my last few performances," Trengove said.

"I would like to be performing at a better level [but] I don't think at any point that has been a reflection of the captaincy being a burden on me. It's been something that has been a great challenge and I am loving every minute of it."
 
Trengove's laconic manner belies his competitive spirit and his active brain. Others describe him as astute, academically strong as well as a sporting talent. He is used to having plenty on his plate.
 
He earned a high TER score at Prince Alfred College in South Australia, was a school prefect, captain of the first XI cricket team that toured England and obviously played football for the first XVIII.

Those who watched his performance for his school in the 2008 Open Schools Cup Grand Final in 2008 - he won the Colin Steinert Medal for best on ground - say it was memorable. He also captained South Australia in the 2009 NAB AFL Under 18 Championships and was named All Australian.

One of his teammates in both the school and state team was the person he shares a house with now, Melbourne's Luke Tapscott.
 
It almost goes without saying that Trengove is driven but his words back it up. "The main reason I am here is to be a successful player and obviously to get success you need to win premierships. That is what I am driving towards and making sure my teammates are as well," he said.
 
Many wondered how leaders so young could drive their message and, in particular, how it would be received from the club's more experienced players, many of who were in the leadership group in 2011.
 
Trengove said it had proved less of a problem than even he might have imagined because of the attitude of those senior players.
 
"It's a challenge that all of us young leaders have had to face, but it's a reflection of all of our senior guys at the club that they really do believe in us as young leaders and are right behind us all the way, so if we have to say something during a game or on the training track they are all ears and trying to get the best out of themselves as well," Trengove said.

"I thought at the start it might be a bit of a challenge but it is something we have overcome pretty easily because of the guys who are receiving that feedback."
 
Trengove said the senior players had been an enormous support to him and continued to contribute on and off the field.
 
He was confident that things would start clicking on the field soon and didn't feel any pressure to do something extraordinary during games just because he was the skipper.

"It's not about the individuals going out and having to play really well," Trengove said. "When it comes to having to stand up in different parts of the game, it would be good if you could, but you would probably do your head in a bit if you tried to do that too much."
 
While he admitted the young leadership group was learning on the job, he believed that each experience gathered now would stand them in good stead in the future.
 
"I think it has been a pretty big year so far," Trengove said. "We have been through enough experiences so far to know that we can deal with it. It's only up from here. We feel as though we are more than prepared for anything that comes at us now."
 
So the belief remains strong and he knows keeping positive is essential.

"It is just about making sure the morale of the group is always up regardless of how we are going on the field and keeping the tempo up at training and making sure we are getting everything out of every session.

"If we keep doing that, hopefully results will turn around. When they do I'm sure it will happen quickly."