Essendon ruckman Jason Laycock is determined to put an injury-plagued year behind him as he focuses on making an impact in 2010.

The 201cm Tasmanian joined team-mates David Myers and Sam Lonergan at Windy Hill today to progress his training load in preparation for a solid pre-season.

“I have had a program that has seen me gradually build up my running,” Laycock said..
""It started off as a bit of jogging and walking and has progressed into kicking, leading and marking as well as 1km time trials and that sort of thing.""
To purchase a fantastic commemorative Matthew Lloyd Lithograph click here.
Laycock is confident of commencing full pre-season training when the entire playing group returns on November 11.

“So far I am on the right track to start pre-season with the rest of the boys,” he said.

“I just have to keep gradually building up my training load and hopefully it all works out well from there.

“I haven’t got any expectations from pre-season just yet. I just want to be able to complete it and be a part of the main training every week and not end up in rehab.”

While the Bombers struggled for ruck options on-field this season following injuries to David Hille (knee) and Laycock (foot), the 25-year-old admits he found it difficult to come to terms with a foot complaint that sidelined him for almost an entire year.

“This year has been the hardest year I have ever been through,” he said.

“Just knowing that you are not going to play for the whole year and I knew pretty early that I wasn’t going to be playing.

“You are given an optimistic view that you might have the opportunity to come back mid-way through the year and then you get injured again and miss the whole year. It’s pretty tough.”

Laycock admits he desperately wanted to feel part of the action as a young breed of Bombers defied expectations and sealed thrilling wins in blockbuster games.
Back on the road to reaching his peak fitness, he plans to use those dark days as motivation to make an impact in 2010.

“Seeing the boys when they have those good wins against Carlton and Collingwood and seeing everyone pumped up and happy is probably the hardest time - you don’t feel a part of it because you are in rehab,” Laycock said.

“That winning feeling is a feeling you definitely want to experience again. It is going to drive me a fair way to getting back there again in 2010.”