EXCITING Hawthorn youngster Jed Anderson could be back playing in two weeks as he aims to be fit for Box Hill’s season opener on March 29.

The determined Hawk is back to full fitness after falling ill with pneumonia over the summer, where he was forced to spend time in hospital and away from the Club in the Northern Territory.  

As a result of the illness, Anderson lost weight, missed the Club’s trip to South Africa for training camp and was unable to begin pre-season training until after the holiday period.  

For any young player it would have been a debilitating setback that dented self-confidence, particularly after his impressive first season for the Hawks where he played six games and won a rising star nomination in Round 3.

But for a player who has already overcome much hardship in his journey to the AFL, Anderson wasn’t going to let a bump in the road derail his AFL dream.

Now fit and healthy, he can take the positives from what was an obstacle in his so far short career.

“The little challenges that come along, you just have to try and get over them quickly and stay positive, which is how I’ve been throughout the whole illness,” he told hawthornfc.com.au

“I was determined to be back to full fitness at Round 1 even though I didn’t really say that to any of the coaches – that’s just where I wanted to be and I pushed myself to be ready and get myself into the mix.

“I think it has worked out well – not getting sick but the fact it has made me feel a lot stronger and work a lot harder to get to where I want to be.

“I’m back to full health and back to playing weight – it has been a long road, I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to where I am now.”

The quietly spoken 20 year old never takes a backwards step on the field, perhaps even suffering from a bit of white line fever but he takes the same approach to his training.

It says a lot about a young player when the Club’s coaching and fitness staff are confident he will take the next step when he feels he’s ready.

“We didn’t really know what to expect with me coming back – it was just a slow process until I felt that I was ready to push myself and get back to where the guys were mid-pre-season,” he said.

“It takes a lot out of you (the illness), I worked with a lot of guys at the Club just to get my health and fitness back to where it’s meant to be.

“I feel now like I was towards the end of last year but hopefully with a few games coming up, I can get a bit more fitness and get that feel again.”

Despite a number of young Hawks like Mitch Hallahan and Will Langford putting their name in the frame for senior selection, Anderson wants and will be doing the same despite his limited pre-season.

He is desperate to win a place in Hawthorn’s best 22.

“My body feels a lot stronger and it’s able to handle a lot more work – I’ve done probably about the same amount in just this pre-season to what I did last year,” he said.

“I’m pushing that extra little bit to get a bit more out of myself and feel stronger.

“I feel now like I was towards the end of last year but hopefully with a few games coming up, I can get a bit more fitness and get that feel again.

“I’m looking forward to this season – I really want to push for top selection and dig deep within myself to get there. Coming off last year and playing as well as I did, I want to take that into the games coming up and hopefully it all takes care of itself.

 “A lot of the younger boys are already showing that they’re pushing for senior selection, everyone is digging deep and fighting to get one of those 22 spots each week.

“(But) I will be fighting in the next few weeks and showing the coaches what I’ve got.”