LUCKLESS Melbourne midfielder Jack Trengove has full confidence he can return from his latest bout of foot surgery, but he concedes he is unlikely to play in 2015.
Trengove had screws taken out of his troublesome left foot on Wednesday, after it was discovered – during a medical check with Richmond, as the Tigers were pondering a trade for a midfielder – that the foot had not mended properly from the first bout of surgery in April.
This time around, Trengove's surgeon Geoffrey Tymms took a bone graft and some bone marrow from the Demon’s hip to ensure the navicular bone heals fully.
Trengove's foot will remain in a cast for the next eight weeks, before he progresses into a moon boot and then turns his attention to a lengthy rehabilitation process.
Despite the latest setback, the 23-year-old is optimistic about returning to the football field.
"I couldn't be more motivated at the moment. I've never really had long-term injuries before, until this one this season," Trengove said on Thursday.
"I've been pretty fortunate not to miss games and it hurts to not be out there and doing what you love doing.
"I feel as though I'm pretty young, and we may have to sacrifice another season potentially, but at the end of the day I just want to get back fit and healthy and hopefully playing in a couple of years time."
The Demons and Trengove have already flagged a cautious approach to his return from a second lot of surgery.
"We're probably going to be more conservative this time around," Trengove said.
"There's going to be a lot of boring time ahead for me and sitting on the couch for the next month or so.
"It's all a part of it and it's just a matter of it all knitting back together."
Trengove revealed he approached a possible trade with the Tigers with open eyes, before the move was shelved when the Richmond doctors discovered his foot issue.
"The way footy is these days with the whole free agency and the chaotic trade period, you have to be open to anything," Trengove said.
"It really is a business and I've never learnt that more than the past trade period.
"You've got to be open to anything and any opportunity that comes up, you've got to look at and go from there.
"But look, I'm at Melbourne now, and it's important to recover from this one and I'm really excited about what the next couple of years hold."
