Melbourne midfielder Jack Trengove says it was very tough standing down as captain

JACK Trengove insists he wasn't thrown into the captaincy deep end at Melbourne despite just two years at the helm.

Melbourne midfielder Jack Trengove is back running. Picture: Getty

JACK Trengove insists he wasn't thrown into the captaincy deep-end at Melbourne, despite surrendering the role within two years.

Trengove said he had no regrets over becoming the youngest permanent captain in VFL-AFL history, explaining yesterday that it had been a "very tough" decision to step down.

The 22-year-old, whose development has stalled over the last two seasons, sought counsel from Paul Roos - his fifth coach in his five years with the Demons.

"It was a huge honour to be put forward ... and I'm the type of person to go and grab any opportunity possible, so when (Mark Neeld) came to me and said, `You're going to be captain', I jumped at it," Trengove said.

"When you sit back and really think about it, there was probably a bit of added responsibility and pressure put on me ... we all shouldered that together as a playing group.

"I'm not living in any regrets at all. I'd do the exact same thing again."

A navicular stress fracture in his left foot detected in the weeks before last Christmas restricted Trengove to a virtually non-existent pre-season and badly blunted his output in 20 matches in 2013.

Trengove admitted that after a period of reflection he came to the conclusion that he needed to start thinking more about himself.

"The best thing for the club and myself is me fulfilling my full potential as a player," Trengove said.

"I feel as though the last few years I haven't played up to the potential that I'm capable of ... to take a bit more on myself to fulfil my potential is what I came to agree at the end.

"Not having a pre-season does really hurt and it's the first time it's really happened to me. I'd been fortunate enough throughout my career not to have many injuries.

"My first two years I got two full pre-seasons under my belt and last year I had next to none. It did show a bit in the way I was running around and looking out there."

Trengove said Roos had lifted the players' spirits.

"Everyone just feels a bit better and more up and about because of the man that he is," Trengove said.

"Everything he says the boys are hanging off at the moment."