FORGOTTEN Demon Jack Trengove has faced the afterlife – at least the AFL version – and is prepared, but also "hell-bent" on delaying it for years to come.
The 25-year-old's first appearance in red and blue in 399 days on Saturday was a celebrated comeback story and one he is determined to extend.
Trengove, once the club's co-captain and brightest prospect, is racing against time to rebuild a career derailed by a left foot injury. It surfaced as a stress fracture in December 2012, and a separate crack in his navicular bone later cost him the best part of two years.
The midfielder's return game against Port Adelaide was cruelly just his sixth since the start of the 2014 season, after playing 79 in his first four years at Melbourne.
Five talking points: Melbourne v Port Adelaide
Trengove's foot woes appear to be behind him – and have been since last season – but his greatest challenge remains - convincing the Demons this one-time No.2 draft pick is worth persisting with.
He has been stuck in VFL purgatory, with critics dismissing him as too slow. That perceived weakness did not stop him racking up big numbers in the state league, but he had to wait until now for an AFL call-up.
"I'm a realist, in that I know I'm out of contract this year, so every game is huge for me and I've just got to keep proving to everyone that I do belong," Trengove told AFL.com.au.
"I truly believe I have a long career ahead of me. I missed two years, so hopefully they're (added) on the back end of my career.
"In some ways it's a great way to be, because it makes you play on that edge all the time and always trying to prove you still belong and can play great footy at this level."
Trengove was dropped to the VFL for the first time after round two in 2014, only months after relinquishing the co-captaincy thrust upon him as a 20-year-old two seasons earlier.
He then reported soreness in his left foot after playing for Melbourne's VFL affiliate Casey, and scans confirmed a crack in his navicular bone.
Even then, the prognosis was pretty good – season over, but the expectation of a full recovery in time to play from the start of 2015.
In a twist, Trengove almost joined Richmond in the 2014 trade period, and only didn't because the Tigers' doctors discovered he had re-injured his foot and needed further surgery.
The problem had reached crisis point, with Trengove conceding he would have to "sacrifice" the following season.
He was forced to contemplate a football-free life, after entering the AFL – naively, he admits now – thinking "things are just going to happen". Trengove was able to fast-track a Bachelor of Business degree, majoring in banking and finance, which is nearing its completion.
"Everything happens for a reason – I'm a big one for that," he said.
"As disappointing as it was that I'd re-injured it and needed surgery for the second time, it means I'm still here (at the Demons) and I got to be part of this group today.
"One of the greatest blessings in getting injured and having doctors and specialists say you might not even run again, let alone play footy, is it made me look ahead to what's next.
"It's made me a better person because of it, because you get that perspective on life and I was ready for the next phase if that had to come, and now it just makes me hungrier for this."
Trengove ran onto the MCG six minutes into Saturday's 23-point win over Port to a warm reception, and fans reproduced it more vigorously in the Melbourne rooms post-match – drawing an appreciative thumbs up.
Jack Trengove lays a tackle on Jared Polec at the MCG on Saturday. Picture: AFL Photos
The supporters, he says, rode the emotional rollercoaster with him. Trengove was the equivalent of Christian Petracca or Clayton Oliver for the Demons in 2009, a supposed saviour for a club in desperate need of one.
Instead, at no fault of his own, he became the latest in a long line of disappointments, after the sole player drafted before him, Tom Scully, left for Greater Western Sydney.
Oliver is now the ever-positive Trengove's housemate, and the older Demon is trying to impart wisdom on the emerging star from his own experiences.
"I know what they've gone through (with expectations), but I ham up the hype as well, because I just love the way they go about it," Trengove said.
"There are a lot of other guys around supporting them, and the culture of the club is really great in embracing that and helping them develop quickly.
"You see them on the field and they're not overawed by that extra excitement about them, and I think a lot of it comes back to the way this club's run … they're setting them up to succeed."
Coach Simon Goodwin, who told Trengove of his selection on Tuesday night in an emotional phone call, did not guarantee he would retain his place next week. But he was effusive in his praise of a "quality person" and much-loved figure at the club.
"We have some great young players and some great depth at this club, so they're the ones trying to knock you off your perch," Trengove said.
"You've got to fight hard for it, and I've heard the hardest thing is to get that opportunity. So when it comes, you've got to grab it and make the most of it and not give them a reason to take it away from you again."
