Injured midfielder Scott Selwood is prepared to play the long game when it comes to getting back to his best football.
Speaking on 1116 SEN on Wednesday morning, the 25-year-old was brutally honest when assessing his own form in recent years and is hoping a conservative approach to recovery will ensure his eventual return is both a permanent and prosperous one.
“I think I’ve played pretty poor footy the last couple of years, so it’s really about getting my body right before I come back out and play,” Selwood said.
“Myself trying to play about eighty per cent I don’t think is good enough for AFL footy.”
Selwood was widely regarded as a rising star of the competition when he won a best and fairest with West Coast in 2012 and was later named vice captain of the club in 2014 before an ankle injury derailed his career that same year.
Three bouts of surgery and an off-season move to Geelong later, Selwood won’t line up in his new colours for at least the first few months of the home and away season.
“I’m still struggling a little bit,” Selwood admitted.
“The last couple of years I’ve had an ankle injury and I’ve been able to play with it but as you go on and you play sore, all the muscles start to get out of whack a little bit so I need to get them back going again.”
“I’m probably looking after the first few rounds [to return]. I’ll come in and have a bit of an impact. I’ve just started running back now and I’ve got to get some k’s back into the legs before I start having a kick.”
“Until I can do one thing I can’t move onto the next thing. So at the moment I’m up to running and usually need six weeks of doing that before you can play so I’m probably about round five or round six away in my mind.”
Club captain Joel Selwood has spent his fair share of time on the sidelines with his younger brother this pre-season, but will make his own return to football on Friday night for the VFL Cats against Richmond at Punt Road.
“Joel’s looking pretty good at the moment – he’ll play this Friday night in the VFL against the Tiges and gear up for round one,” Selwood said.
