HERITIER Lumumba says he “would love to spend more time in the midfield than I have previously”.

Although noted for his rebound and dash out of defence for much of his career, the former Collingwood star says he would love to play in the middle.

“The last few seasons at Collingwood, I spent a lot of time with the midfield group and predominantly playing on the wing,” he said.

“But I also enjoy playing down back and I love that way a defensive group comes together and helps each other out. They seem to be a lot tighter than any other group in comparison to the forwards and the midfielders because of the nature of the way the game is played and how errors can cost the team greatly.

“I love being able to just express my athletic capabilities on the football field and whichever role I can do that in I enjoy.”

Lumumba said he had switched his time between the defence and midfield groups during the pre-season.

“I’ve been doing a lot of my training with the midfield group and getting familiarity with the different structures and also the different roles in the midfield,” he said.

“That doesn’t mean that I will just be in the midfield, I also come from a defensive background. I’ve been spending a bit of time with the defensive group and I think that will continue to happen post-Christmas.

“Being able to play the variety of roles is something that is an advantage and something that I know will be called upon me throughout the course of the season.

On a personal level, Lumumba simply wants to take his game to another level.

“My expectations for myself are just that I continue to find ways to improve my game,” he said.

“I’ve been really impressed with the professionalism of the Melbourne Football Club. [Elite performance manager] David Misson has a fantastic program. [Coach] Paul Roos and the other assistant coaches have really had high standards of the playing group.

“For myself personally, I know that gives me a lot of confidence that I can go to the next level as an athlete and that’s something that I’m really honing in on to find those areas where I can do things better.

“There’s many things I can do better as an athlete so I know that if I can follow a process that allows me to get the best out of myself – which is being provided here currently – then I will be able to improve and that’s my expectation for season 2015.”

In terms of the overall team, Lumumba said was already convinced that “the Melbourne Football Club is ready to charge ahead”.

“I’ve really picked up on that feeling with the team meetings that we’ve had and the conversations that you have with guys in the locker room but also from the way that the playing group has attacked training,” he said.

“I think the club has obviously suffered its fair share of defeats and also has been on the bottom for a while now but I really do feel as though it’s a blank canvas and we’re ready to charge ahead.

“It’s really exciting to be here at the Melbourne Football Club at the moment.”

Lumumba said he was heading back to Western Australia for his Christmas/New Year period, but with a strong focus to keep training strongly.

“I’ll be heading to Perth for a brief trip. I’ve got a wedding there which is always fun. For the rest of the time, I’ll be back here in Melbourne training,” he said.

“Even though it’s called the Christmas break, players still have a responsibility to keep themselves in shape and we all have stringent programs and protocols that we need to follow.

“For me, I see this as an opportunity to advance as an athlete.”