TWENTY matches in his first season with the club, third in Melbourne’s best and fairest and now a genuine part of the red and blue future.

There’s no doubt Dean Terlich would’ve taken those individual achievements if they were forecast upon his reentry into the AFL, after one rookie season with the Sydney Swans in 2008.

“I definitely would’ve taken it; I wouldn’t have believed it and I probably would’ve laughed in their face,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“It’s been an experience, I’ve learned plenty and I’ve got to see a lot of Australia through playing footy. I’ve also met a lot of new people and I’ve really enjoyed my time here.

“I definitely wouldn’t have expected it, if someone had told me a year ago or even at the start of the footy season – if someone had told me I’d play 20 games this year. I wasn’t expecting that, so I’ll definitely take it and enjoy myself.”

The rebounding defender couldn’t put an exact finger on why it all clicked for him in 2013, after he was drafted at No.68 in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft.

“I’m not too sure to be honest. I think when it comes down to being drafted a lot of luck comes into it,” Terlich said.

“I was lucky in a sense to go to Sydney when I was 17, but at the same time, I was unlucky, because I went to an experienced and settled team, so I was never going to break into the side at that age. Being a bit older gave me a better chance to play this year.

“Mature agers [in the AFL] have been successful in the past three or four years and it’s opened the doors for guys like myself, Matt Jones and Mitch Clisby. Before that, we wouldn’t have got a look in anyway.

“I’ve got blokes like Nick Duigan, Paul Puopolo and some other Norwood boys to thank for that and the recruiters for just giving me a chance.”

Although Terlich said it was a tumultuous season, he said given it was his first year with Melbourne, he simply relished the opportunity.

“If someone told me I’d play 20 games and win two of them, I’d still take it. You’d still take that you’d play 20 games of AFL football,” he said.

“It’d be nice to have won more than you lost, but in saying that, I still really enjoyed my time and I think it’s going to hold us in good stead down the track, especially myself as a backman and how I’ve learned a fair bit this year – being under so much heat every week.

“It definitely would’ve been nice to win a few more games, but I go in with a pretty positive mindset every week … and I never lost that fire in my belly to play each week and I always have a good time.”