Jake Melksham speaks about his shift from Essendon to Melbourne in AFL Trade Period

NEW Demon Jake Melksham says he didn’t really want to leave Essendon but ultimately needed a change of scenery after six seasons.

Essendon v Brisbane

NEW Demon Jake Melksham says he didn’t really want to leave Essendon but ultimately needed a change of scenery.

The 24-year-old midfielder spent six years with the Bombers - playing 114 games - and said his friendship with Melbourne’s coach-in-waiting Simon Goodwin was a major factor in his move.

Goodwin was Essendon’s midfield coach until 2014 and Melksham revealed a dinner at Goodwin’s home persuaded him to switch clubs.

“He gave me a ring and could see I wasn’t enjoying my footy or reaching the potential that I had. I’d go around (to his place) for dinner often (and one day) he said ‘come around, we’ll have a chat’,” Melksham told the club’s website.

Jake Melksham kicks at goal at Essendon training. Picture: Michael Klein

“At the start, I thought it was just a normal dinner … and when we got there, he spoke about the possibility of coming to the club. He said, ‘You need to ask yourself what you want to get out of your footy career? You need to find that passion and reignite yourself again’.

“It got the ball rolling and I thought maybe a fresh start would be good for myself, so that’s where it got started.”

Melksham said it was hard to leave his teammates but a fresh start was needed after dealing with the stress of Essendon’s supplements saga.

“I explained to Melbourne that it was a really hard decision because I didn’t really want to leave my teammates. I was pretty close to a fair few of the boys there and with the whole group really,” he said.

“But at the end of the day, speaking to my family and my partner, and also with Melbourne, sometimes you’ve got to do what’s best for you – not so much worry about what other people want or what other people think.

“You’ve got to take that leap of faith and start with a bit of a change. I was thinking ‘how am I going to approach this and how would I go not being at the club and not being with my good mates?’ But in these times, you find out who your real mates are and who aren’t, so there are no grudges there with any of the players.”

After playing most of his career through the midfield, Melksham is also expected to see changes on the field.

The Demons hope to use him across half-back in 2016 and have been training him in the position.

Originally published as Jake Melksham speaks about his shift from Essendon to Melbourne in AFL Trade Period