Melbourne defender Michael Hibberd is making the most of his new chapter at the Demons

IT WAS the little things Michael Hibberd missed the most. After an enforced break from the game in 2016, the Dees defender on his fresh start and appreciating footy more than ever.

Michael Hibberd in the change rooms after the Dees win over Port Adelaide. Picture: AAP

IT WAS the little things Michael Hibberd missed the most.

Joking around with his teammates in the locker room, the moments immediately after a win.

Even the pain of pre-season training.

The times that Hibberd didn’t realise how much he enjoyed until they were taken away.

Michael Hibberd: “When I came back I really appreciated football a little bit more.” Picture: AAP

The new Demon admits an enforced break from the game in 2016, as one of the 34 past and present Essendon players suspended for a year over the Bombers’ ill-fated supplements scandal, has made him appreciate his football more than ever.

“I really missed footy last year, just the mateship you get in the locker rooms and the 15 minutes after the siren when you win, all that kind of stuff I really missed,’’ Hibberd said on the eve of his 100th AFL game.

“Even pre-season training. You hate it at the time, but when you get it taken away from you, you do miss that. Just getting together with the 30 to 40 guys that you are friends with every day is something that I really missed.

“When I came back I really appreciated football a little bit more. It did make me appreciate the situation I’m in playing at the top level in Australia.

“It was a dream of mine as a kid and I’m not going to let the opportunity slip any more because I’ve missed a year of footy and I know what I was missing out on.’’

In his first season at Melbourne, Hibberd has certainly not let the opportunity slip.

After a delayed start to the season due to injury, Hibberd has emerged as one of the Demons’ top performers and arguably one of the top recruits of the year.

Slotting seamlessly into the Melbourne defence, the 27-year-old has averaged 28.4 disposals per game in his 15 appearances for the year so far, including a 36-possession performance in the team’s victory against Port Adelaide.

“It is probably has been my most consistent season, I haven’t really had too many poor games,’’ Hibberd said of his debut year with the Demons.

“I have really enjoyed my first season at the Dees and obviously after missing the first four games I was pretty disappointed about it, but to be able to put 15 games together now in a row and not have too many issues with my body, it has been really satisfying.

“Obviously with an up-and-coming team we have showed a lot of potential, it’s exciting as well. I’ve had a lot of fun so far and hopefully we’ve got more than three games to go this year.’’

Michael Hibberd says he has benefited from his late start to the season. Picture: AAP

While Hibberd was frustrated to be sidelined for the first four games of the season, he believed his enforced late start to the year had helped his game and body as the season progressed.

“Usually this time of year, I am slowing down a little bit,’’ Hibberd said.

“But I guess missing the first four games, I had a few injuries, but the way the fitness staff held me back and put a good training program in front of me, it’s held me in good stead to get through the year unscathed so far and to play pretty consistent footy.’’

“I was always confident that I would come back and play well if my body could hold up and it’s held up ... I was just in uncharted waters missing 12 months.

“To be able to put together the season I have so far has been satisfying and hopefully I can keep building on that and put a finals campaign in as well.’’

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While Hibberd has opened a new chapter at Melbourne, he took the time to pay tribute to his former captain Jobe Watson after his retirement announcement this week.

“Me and Jobe are pretty close friends and I sent him a text saying ‘well done’ and ‘well said’ at his press conference,’’ Hibberd said.

“We speak a fair bit, so I didn’t really need to say too much more than that. He knows that I appreciate everything he has done for me and he’s a super leader of that footy club ... I can’t thank him enough for what he has done for me.’’

Michael Hibberd drives the Demons forward. Picture: AAP

In the end, the weight of the Essendon supplements saga eventually caught up with Watson, but Hibberd has relished his fresh start at the Demons.

“A big push for me leaving in the end was that fresh start and getting the most out of my footy would have been better off going somewhere else,’’ Hibberd said.

“I’ve probably backed that up now with the form that I’ve been in a little bit, it just shows I have definitely made the right call.’’

And a finals appearance in year one at his new club would top it off.

“Personally, it would be great. Missing last year and the opportunity to play big games and big finals is something that I craved and I missed,’’ Hibberd said.

“To have that opportunity at arms length now, I’m exited about and really looking forward to the challenge of the next three weeks to put ourselves in that position.’’

Michael Hibberd has been one of the recruits of the year. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

DEES READY TO ‘SHAKE TEAMS UP’

Michael Hibberd has urged the Demons to return to playing “fearless” football as they fight for their first finals berth in 11 years.

As the 10th-placed Demons prepare to face off in a mini elimination final against St Kilda at the MCG today, Hibberd promised the team was ready to “shake a few teams up” if they succeeded in extending their season into September.

The Demons fell out of the top eight after a dropping three out of their past four matches and can’t afford any more slips between now and seasons’ end if they are to cement a finals spot.

Hibberd said the Demons had fallen into the trap of playing “safe” and “boring” football in the past month and needed to play with more flair to spark their finals charge.

“We need to be a bit more fearless and take the game on a bit more when we are attacking,” Hibberd said.

“When we are going forward with the ball just take a few more risks and play with a bit more flair. We played like that at the start of the year and we have kind of been playing a bit safe with ball in hand over the last month.

“So we are going to go back to that this week and hopefully play with a bit more dare and get some really good scoring chains going.

“We are going to try to take the game on a bit more, use the corridor and take some dangerous kicks because lately we have just been going down the line and been playing boring footy.’’

The Demons sit above the 11th-placed Saints, who they defeated by 30 points in the opening round of the season, by percentage only.

They face the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood, both at the MCG, in the final two rounds.

Hibberd said the Demons knew there was no room for error from here on in.

“It’s a big game for us because we pretty much need to win every game now if we are going to be serious about finals,” Hibberd said.

“We’ve just got to play our best footy now and playing three games at the MCG now will be good for us now as well because we know we play our best footy there.’’

Hibberd said the Demons, whose last finals appearance was a semi-final loss to Fremantle in 2006, felt they could take anyone on if they reached the September action.

“We want to play finals and if we don’t we’ll be really disappointed, but if we do get in, with the evenness of the competition at the moment, anyone can win it this year,” Hibberd said.

“So if we get in, we’ll hopefully shake a few teams up.

“I think the talent on the list is huge and the potential, we are not going to put a roof on it kind of thing.”

The Demons have badged today’s clash against the Saints at the MCG as the Welcome Game to promote inclusiveness and cultural diversity, with the club and the MCC giving away 20,000 tickets to the game to various schools and multicultural communities.

“The AFL these days is such a multicultural game, so to have people of different backgrounds cultures really enjoying the game we play is awesome,” Hibberd said.