When Alex Browne strained his hamstring in the middle of January, after a solid block of pre-season training, he didn't think by late March he would still be getting over it.
But that's the way his cards have fallen, and he accepts that it will push back his start to 2012.
""I'm frustrated about what's happened, but you can look at it negatively or positively and I think the key to getting back quicker is to look at it positively and to look at what I can do without training,"" Browne told essendonfc.com.au in the final update of his pre-season.
""I'm back doing a lot of boxing and swimming, and I've started running again now. It's progressing pretty well.""
Though originally forecast to return by the end of the NAB Cup, Browne remains at least two more weeks away from playing. Essendon is being cautious"" with the injury, making sure he doesn't develop an injury or scar tissue which could linger throughout his career.
Browne is still only 19 and about to start his second season as an AFL player. There's no rush.
In the meantime, despite the extended recovery, Browne has been spending his time off the track improving his game. He tries to watch most training sessions, and feels more aware of the game plan and training styles by doing so.
But Browne admits being an onlooker to Essendon's fit list – he is one of only four or five in the rehab group at the moment – does make him slightly envious.
""You get a bit jealous of the boys being out there and training, because they get to do what we're all supposed to be doing,"" he says.
""You don't get drafted to get injured, you get drafted to go out there and play AFL. I'm just waiting until I get that opportunity to train again.""
He is hoping the little things he is working on now – a better running technique, maintaining his increased body size, the strengthening of his core muscles, and having a bigger aerobic base – will hold him in good stead when he returns.
But this pre-season has tested Browne in ways he probably didn't expect when it began in late October. He knew that a new Essendon fitness and conditioning team would put him and his teammates through their paces, but he has also learned to deal with more time on the sidelines, and how it can affect where he sits in the pack. The challenge of pushing past injury disappointments to become better has been constant.
It's all been part of him growing as a footballer. When he returns to play, it will be after six months worth of development. He thinks it will be good for him, in the end.
""I do believe once I return I will go in with a fair bit of confidence taken out of this pre-season,"" Browne says.
