Melbourne onballer Brent Moloney knows he could have been an AFL premiership player by now.

But after three years of frustrating battles with his body, two years watching his old side Geelong monster the competition, and the last 12 months watching the club he was traded to hit rock bottom on-field, there is not a hint of bitterness.

Moloney, 25, is comfortable where fate and footy have taken him, and upbeat about completing his first full pre-season in a seven-year AFL career.

And his devotion to the Demons' cause is set to leave a lasting off-field legacy as well as anything he does on-field in 2009.

Elevated to the club's leadership group this season, Moloney was heavily involved in setting up a Melbourne Football Club "academy" - effectively an induction program for the club's first-year players.

Moloney knows better than most how the AFL draft and trade system can change lives and club loyalties in an instant.

His move from Geelong to Melbourne - the club he supported as a boy - came as a result of the Cats' need to find quick currency to ensure the 2004 Brad Ottens trade.

Moloney and skipper James McDonald packaged together books on the history of the club and coaching legend Norm Smith, and a DVD of the club's finest moments to give the Demons' 10 new players.

Then they set them some "homework" before they started to think about playing for the club.

"The Aboriginal boys we drafted (Jamie Bennell and Neville Jetta) come from Bunbury, Rohan Bail's come from Queensland, they didn't follow Melbourne and didn't know much about the club," Moloney told AAP.

"It's not their fault they don't know, so we wanted to put a little pack together.

"The young players had to do research on a past player, so they get an idea of what the club's about.

"It's so when they do pull on the jumper, they know who they're playing for."

Moloney himself can't wait to pull on the Demons jersey in 2009.

His battles with chronic groin problems and a troublesome shoulder have restricted his career to stop-start for the past three seasons.

But the tough onballer has already played two pre-season matches, and is scheduled for another hitout against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday.

Moloney says he has renewed confidence in his body - even undertaking extra physiotherapy sessions to prevent potential injuries.

Now he's looking forward to helping the Demons rebuild a little faster, and maybe getting round to that premiership a little later in life than he might have otherwise.

"The last few years haven't gone our way, but I'm not 30 years old and I'm not coming to the end of my career," Moloney said.

"I'd like to think I've still got a bit left and with the playing group we've got here and the way the club's moving, in the next four or five years we can do what Geelong have done."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP