Essendon's hot prospect, Michael Hurley, is still expected to get an early taste of senior football despite undergoing surgery to remove a non-functional gall bladder last week.

The 18-year-old will rest for the next four weeks but after spending the past two months absorbing everthing he can off champion full-back Dustin Fletcher, Hurley feels he will be ready when the time comes.

“I have tried to take in as much as I can from Dustin Fletcher and follow in his footsteps by going about things the way that he does,” Hurley said.

“He gives me lots of helpful hints on the training track, explaining how he goes about his game in the backline and gives me advice as to how I can improve my game.

“Last year I was watching Dustin play and loving the way he went about it and this year I am lucky enough to be working alongside him.

“He is a bit of a larrikin but he switches on when he needs to. I think that is good being able to relax and have a good time when we are not at training.”

Hurley was admitted to hospital after experiencing discomfort in his abdominal region. Tests revealed a non-functional gall bladder and he had key-hole surgery on Friday.

“I was a bit disappointed with the set-back because training had being going pretty well,” he said.

“I guess it is better to get it over and done with now during pre-season than to have it out halfway through the year when I am playing.

“They said that there was a slight chance that I could keep it in but it wasn’t working so it would have caused a fair bit of trouble in the future if I was to leave it there.“

Although Hurley will miss the Bombers’ NAB Cup opener against the Western Bulldogs in Darwin next Friday, he remains on-track for a possible Round 1 senior debut on March 29.

“The doctor will hopefully give me a bit more of a clue of what is going on tomorrow,” he said.

“They have told me that I won’t be doing much for the first week and a half and will start back jogging after two weeks and then gradually build it up from there.”

The number five selection in the 2008 NAB National Draft has been highly rated by his team-mates and coaches following solid form on the track during Essendon’s pre-season.

While the surgery will force Hurley onto a modified training program for the next month, he is staying positive.

“Obviously I want to play as much senior football as possible but it is better to miss the NAB Cup than the real season and I am just happy that I’m not missing any games through the year hopefully,” he said.

“I would obviously love to play some senior footy during the year but I will just take it all as it comes.”