HIS 2014 season was ruined by injury but exciting Hawthorn youngster Jed Anderson has already turned his attention to season 2015.
In good news for the Hawks, Anderson has fully recovered from mid-year season-ending shoulder surgery and has begun pre-season training with his teammates.
The exciting prospect returned for training with Hawthorn’s first-to-fourth year players on Monday, and is back participating in full contact drills.
“Yeah it’s 100 per cent, my shoulder is fine,” Anderson told hawthornfc.com.au
“I’m looking forward to getting bigger and better for next year.
“I’m feeling really good; it’s great to be back out here with all the boys for day one of pre-season.
“I’m really excited to get cracking.”
Anderson suffered the injury to his shoulder while while playing for VFL affiliate Box Hill in March, before surgery mid-year ended his season prematurely.
It was a blow for the 20 year old Northen Territory product, who burst onto the AFL scene in 2013 and excited Hawthorn coaches and fans.
Anderson played six games in his debut season, including the Qualifying Final win over Sydney, before narrowly missing out on a Grand Final berth after the injury to Brendan Whitecross opened up a position.
It was frustrating for the young Hawk, who had already overcome so much to be back playing early in 2014.
Anderson had to work hard to regain his fitness and get himself into a position to play footy after being hospitalised in Darwin with pneumonia just before Christmas in 2013, which saw him miss his team’s pre-season training camp in South Africa.
Then, after three months of intense training and determination to get back, he suffered the shoulder injury in his first game back.
Jed Anderson sucks in some deep breaths after an intense running session.
It has been a long time since he’s trained with his teammates and participated fully.
He admits, after a promising and exciting season in 2013, it has been frustrating sitting back and watching his mates do what he loves.
A shy but driven young man though, Anderson has put those setbacks behind him and is now focused on what 2015 might hold.
“It was pretty frustrating towards the end of the year but it happens it footy,” he said.
“Getting back out there and doing skills and getting my body right for next year, that’s what I’m looking forward to as a new challenge.
“It’s been exciting to get the footy back into my hands and getting into the contact drills I’ve been missing.”
His first goal now that pre-season is underway, is to get himself into a position to play in Hawthorn’s opening game of the pre-season against Collingwood on 26 February.
“It’s (NAB Challenge) my first goal other than getting my body 100 per cent for then,” he said.
“Then it’s up to the coaches, who will hopefully be looking at me to get me into the side
“My body is feeling really good and my fitness is getting there.
“I’ve done my bit over the off-season break so I can get back into it and get it to that 100 per cent mark over the pre-season, which is the most important thing for now.”
Hawthorn’s full squad will return for pre-season training on 2 December.
View the 2015 NAB Challenge fixture or the 2015 fixture.
