ALMOST a month after hitting the headlines for his three-week suspension, Melbourne on-baller Jack Trengove is adamant he will not change his tackling style.

Trengove was suspended for three weeks after a tackle on Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield concussed the Crows' midfielder.

He finally returned last week against Essendon, barely skipping a beat in gathering 28 possessions.

The 19-year-old admitted he was conscious of not hurting opponents but said it was difficult to adjust what was a natural part of his game.

"It's hard to change. It's sort of an instinctive thing when you're tackling. It all happens in a split second and you just go for it," Trengove told melbournefc.com.au.

"I think there have been a few instances where the tackles were pretty similar but there weren't any concussions involved. It's one of those difficult ones you can't change overnight and I suppose I'll be mindful of it in the future but I will do my best to steer clear of any head high concussion stuff."

Trengove said he had received plenty of support from Melbourne's coaching staff to go about his game as he always had.

"I think that's the important thing. You can't get too wrapped up in trying to change the whole technique all of a sudden because then everything will go haywire," he said.

"The coaches try and encourage you to keep doing the same things. Obviously no one intentionally goes out to try and concuss blokes. It was an accidental thing that happens every now and again but it shouldn't happen any time soon I don't think."

Trengove had a huge wave of public support behind his unsuccessful bid to appeal the sentence and was on the front foot immediately after the verdict. He fronted TV cameras and gave radio interviews in a public display not often allowed by football clubs eager to shield young players from the media spotlight.

While he is not one for raising his media profile, Trengove said he understood the need to get his reaction out to the public.

"I suppose it was something the club was pushing and considering I did have the three weeks off it gave me a few more opportunities to get out and do a few more appearances and get that experience," he said.

"I definitely wasn't seeking to go out and see the media to put my deal across. It's something that came about and I was happy to do it."

The suspension may well serve to be a blessing in disguise as the new substitute rule has naturally resulted in fewer rotations and many players becoming easily fatigued.

Trengove on the other hand is fresh as a winter morning after his enforced break.

"We're halfway through the year and there are always a few little niggles you try and get better," he said.

"It was a good opportunity to freshen up and guys will be more tired in the second half of the season but I've had the three weeks off to freshen up. Hopefully I can finish it off well."

Not that Trengove was sitting on the couch, living the easy life during his layoff. That's not his style. Instead he embarked on a separate training regime to the rest of his teammates without having to go through the crash and bash of being a weekend warrior.

"I suppose it was a good opportunity to do more weights and try to get stronger that way," he said.

"When the boys were playing on the weekend I would do extra running to make sure I maintain that match fitness because that's pretty crucial at this part of the season to make sure we're coming into the second half nice and fresh and still fit."

If his game against the Bombers is anything to go by, Trengove looks set to be a big part of Melbourne's second half of the season and indeed the long-term future.

The South Australian native signed an extension on his initial two-year contract before he even played a senior game last year in a sign that he is keen to be a long-term Demon.

And he is confident that good friend Tom Scully will be alongside him for the journey despite rumours he is in the sights of Greater Western Sydney.

"As the whole wider community knows, he's a great player and he really has an influence as we saw on the weekend's game. I'm confident he'll stay on at the Dees and be here another 13 years or however long he plays for. Obviously it's a matter for him and his manager but I'm sure it will be figured out in due course," Trengove said.

Scully and Trengove will be forever linked as the first two picks in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft.

The third pick that year, Richmond's Dustin Martin has quickly cemented himself as one of the league's most impressive young players.

Trengove admits he has been closely watching Martin and says he draws some motivation from the big wraps that have followed him since he arrived at Punt Road.

"He is one who is doing really well at the moment and is starting to show what sort of player he's going to be in the future. There are a few other guys who are now doing the same thing from that draft. It's good to see they're doing well," he said.

But Trengove is keen to show that anything Martin can do, he can do better.

"You don't want to see anyone outdoing you so you want to be striving to become better all the time. It's examples like that that make you strive even harder and work harder at training to become a better player. I suppose he has kicked that into me this year. 

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