CHRIS Dawes says little separated Melbourne and Collingwood in the way the two clubs operated, with the two hours on match day the significant difference.  

Dawes, who crossed to Melbourne from Collingwood at the end of the 2012 season, endured a frustrating first season in the red and blue, as he only played 12 matches due to hamstring, ankle and calf injuries.

But his first season at the Demons gave him a genuine opportunity to compare the critical differences between the two clubs, given he played in Collingwood’s 2010 premiership.

“What I noticed and I thought it’d be the case is that footy clubs are very similar and you have a lot of the same personalities,” he said.

“During the week, between Monday and Friday, it’s almost identical [to Collingwood], but up the road we used to win, but here at the moment, we don’t have the guys who know how to win or they haven’t experienced that enough.

“You can see from the group that there is a bit of confidence – almost faith – lacking, because they’re not sure if all the work we’re putting in is actually going to reap the rewards. Aside from that, training’s pretty similar and the biggest difference is that we used to go out there and win and here we haven’t been able to do that.”

Dawes said no one could’ve predicted how tough Melbourne’s year was on and off the field.

“We’re not looking to place blame – I think the players have to take a lot of the blame – but coming across [to Melbourne], I knew it was an opportunity to actually play a leadership role in a club that’s trying to learn how to win,” he said.

“I knew it was going to be a hard year – I didn’t think it’d be this tough, but even then, I’ve been loving coming to work every day, with the mindset of rolling up the sleeves, because there is work to be done.

“Had I been here for seven or eight years and we were continually losing, I think that would’ve started to take its toll. But this being my first year here, I love the challenge that’s presented itself.”

But Dawes said being settled off the field helped him cope and deal with adversity in trying times at Melbourne.  

“What I’ve noticed is how important it is for things off field to be going well for you. For me, every year keeps getting better and this year was no different. I got engaged and moved house and things are going so well, so it makes it a lot easier to turn up to work, even when they’ve been as bad as can be footy wise,” he said.

“I’m fortunate I’ve got some good family around me and I’ve got my partner. Having those things go well has a really positive impact on your footy, so I’ve noticed that this year.

“It was a big move to come across, and I’ve realised with the benefit of hindsight how much I wasn’t enjoying my football in 2012. It had become a grind, just to get through training, so I kept trying to remind myself of that and it helped me keep a bit of perspective of how good things are going for me at the moment.”

Dawes said he had a real sense of pride and accomplishment, having dealt with playing with injury during tough times.

“One of the biggest ones for me is that I’ve often been able to play sore, but this year I actually got up to play matches, when I probably shouldn’t have. While that’s unwise from a medical point of view, that actually prepared my body and I was able to play games when it was looking unlikely to be able to play,” he said.

“It gave me a fair bit of satisfaction to the point where in that week after the Queen’s Birthday game and the bye, I had my engagement party and I didn’t even have a glass of wine. I sat there with my foot in an ice bucket.

“While it made the party a bit less exciting for me, doing that and then actually getting up the next week, I took a lot of pride in doing that.”