Roughead's return goal
Injured forward Jarryd Roughead says he is aiming to play in Hawthorn's opening game of 2012
HAWTHORN forward Jarryd Roughead has set his sights on a round one return to football.
Roughead missed the second half of the season after rupturing his Achilles in the round 12 loss to Geelong.
The Hawk forward has finally dispensed with a 'moon boot' he was forced to wear for four months and said he saw no reason why he couldn't be in the brown and gold for the start of next season.
"My aim is still round one. Sherelle McMahon played netball within six months and I've still got another six months to go until the start of the footy season. That's a small goal for me," Roughead told Melbourne radio station Triple M.
Roughead is embarking on a rehabilitation program after being inactive for an extended period.
"I walk with a fair limp at the moment so it's a matter of strengthening up the calf a bit and getting the Achilles used to that load," he said.
"After a month I'd like to think I'd be walking full-on by then and hopefully run not long after that."
Since debuting in 2005, Roughead has played 136 games and kicked 253 goals for the Hawks. He was a member of the 2008 premiership team.