DEFENDER James Frawley says he still bleeds red and blue, despite conceding that the past seven seasons - in particular from 2011-13 - have been extremely trying. 

Frawley, who was drafted at No. 12 in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft (the year Melbourne last made the finals), said he was eager to help the Demons start the climb up the ladder next year under new coach Paul Roos.

“Me and Garlo (Colin Garland) came to the club at the same time, and we’ve had some pretty lean years, but I love this place,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“Jade Rawlings says the old line ‘if you cut the vein, it’ll bleed red and blue’, which they probably are [in my case].

“I love this place, but all I want to do is see improvement in the group … hopefully we can improve next year and get a few wins.”

Frawley said he was full of hope entering 2013, before the season turned to disappointment.  

“I was looking forward to a big year and hopefully a few wins, but it didn’t turn out that way with Neeldy (Mark Neeld) going,” he said.

“It was another one of those years with a few dramas off field and the performances on field haven’t been up to scratch. All players know that.

“We’ll go away this pre-season - all the boys will still be working hard and then trying their hardest to get better, and then hopefully for the fans out there, we’ll see a bit of improvement next year and get a few wins, so it’ll be nice.”

Overall, Frawley thought 2013 was equally as poor as 2011-12, although fewer wins came this year.

“Probably the last three years have been a bit tough,” he said.

“You want to improve as a group and get a few wins and boost morale around the club … it’s hard to say it’s been the hardest year, but they all haven’t been the best.

“Last year was similar and you can judge them on the wins – we had two wins and it wasn’t a good year. You can’t really compare year to year. They’ve all been pretty tough really.”

Frawley, who finished in Melbourne’s top 10 in the best and fairest, despite missing five matches through injury, said he was pleased with his form this year, given the immense pressure the backline was under.

“I thought I played some pretty good footy throughout the year, but it was the first hamstring injury or soft tissue injury I’ve done, so it was new to me,” he said.

“I don’t really know how it happened or why, but I came back for five games and then did it again, which was even more frustrating.

“It hurt the team when Dawsey (Chris Dawes) and Clarky (Mitch Clark) and good lynchpin players for our team weren’t there. Every team has injuries, but it definitely affected us on the field.

“For me personally, missing those six weeks was very frustrating, but that’s footy and you’ve got to deal with it, and keep going and keep trying to get out there and play as best as you can.”

But Frawley said pride in performance was what had helped him remain focused throughout the tough times.

“As a player, when you’re not winning games, you’re trying everything you can for your teammates, especially the backline group – we’re a pretty close group,” he said.

“If you don’t perform, the boys will let you know about it.

“You have good chats and how you go on game day and it’s more about self pride and you do it for the Melbourne footy club. I [just try] to go 100 per cent all of the time – that’s all I try and do, when I go out there, by trying to help my teammates.”