BY THE time Jared Rivers was 21 years old the 2004 NAB AFL Rising Star had 61 matches, including three finals, to his name.

He freely reflects that life in the AFL was pretty rosy at that stage.

Fast forward to 2009 – and the lead-up to round 10 – and the courageous Melbourne defender has added just 17 matches, including eight this year, after injuries (especially groin problems) decimated his 2007-08 seasons.

The 24-year-old has since realised life in the AFL isn't always seen through rose coloured glasses.

"Definitely the first couple of years, I thought: How good is this? I was playing in wins and finals and having a good season and then to get struck down with injury, I didn't realise how mental AFL really was," Rivers told melbournefc.com.au.

"It's mentally challenging, as is the physical side of it, but being injured all of the time, mentally, it can be a very lonely place. Your job at a footy club is to play footy and when you're not doing that, it's definitely a tough time.

"I've definitely learned a lot of things from that. You've just got to jump on the front foot – you can't expect things to happen, so you've got to look outside as well to get help and recovery. It's definitely challenging, which I don't think people realise."

This season Rivers has missed just one game – Melbourne's eight-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in round eight – after he sustained an ankle injury the previous match against West Coast. 

And despite another ankle scare in the pre-season, Rivers said his ability to complete the summer training had given him belief entering 2009.

"I'm definitely getting a lot of confidence in my body – that’s been one of my issues in the past. I know I've done all of the work in the pre-season and the rehabilitation with my groins, so I've got confidence leading into games," he said.

Other challenges have also risen for Rivers. He is one of several Demons to have been part of the crossover era from Neale Daniher to Dean Bailey.

"With 'Danners' there for 10 years, we played finals and thought we could have made a grand final one year," he said.

"You always look back at those situations and think: 'We should've done this and should've done that'. That still sticks in my guts and always gets other players as well.

"You definitely don't realise how quickly the game takes you – guys around 29 or 30 are on the way out … I'm 24 and I'm one of the oldest guys at the club now, so it's definitely a transition period for us.

"A lot of people have left [the club] and a lot of good friends have gone as well, which is challenging at times. But we've got a good young group now and there is a good mix of you and old [players]."

Despite the changing of the guard, Rivers is relishing playing under Bailey.

"'Bails' has been fantastic and he just loves footy, which is a great thing," he said.

"You can go up and chat to him about anything and also about your game. He's real honest with you, which is a good thing and you can't always find that with other coaches.

"But he tells you where you're at and what you need to work on, along with the other line coaches, which has been fantastic."

One area Rivers has improved on is his leadership. In fact, had injuries not held him back in recent seasons, he may have been part of Melbourne's 2009 leadership group.

"In the backline now I'm one of the senior players and it's always good to take that leadership on. I've enjoyed doing that," Rivers said.

"I haven't played much in the last two years – playing eight matches in the past two years doesn't help your cause – so I wasn't hell-bent on being in there (the leadership group).

"It's what you do more on-field than off-field, but you definitely still need to have the off-field qualities as well, which I'm definitely improving on as well."