TALENTED Demon Addam Maric says a full pre-season and a change in attitude are the reasons why he has been regarded as one of Melbourne’s best trainers over the summer.

Maric, who impressed with two goals against Adelaide in Friday night’s opening NAB Cup match at AAMI Stadium, has been a standout this pre-season.

But the forward/midfielder said maturing and remaining injury-free were behind his positive start.

“You get confidence out of doing a full pre-season. I haven’t missed a beat, so it’s a good foundation for the rest of the year. It’s my fourth year now, so I’m feeling a lot more comfortable,” Maric told melbournefc.com.au.

“Doing a full pre-season gives you confidence - knowing you’ve got the runs on the board. But also an attitude change [has helped]. There is not too much else more different. But I’ve been told to take the game on and hopefully that will make a difference as well.

“It was good to be back in the Melbourne jumper. The game went pretty quickly. Pre-season is a season within a season, so it was good to now play a game and contribute a bit.”

Playing back-to-back matches against Adelaide and then Port Adelaide on the one night was an unusual experience for all concerned, but Maric said it didn’t seem too different.

“It wasn’t too bad for us, because we played our two games together,” he said.

“It wasn’t too different, but the other sides might have found it different.

“You treat it as two games and our mentality didn’t change - even though it was just two halves.”