MELBOURNE spearhead Mitch Clark hopes to defy the club’s medical staff and return in less than two months after having recent foot surgery.

 

Speaking ahead of the Demons’ clash with Carlton on Sunday, Clark said his foot was feeling good for "the first time in 10 months" after surgery on Wednesday.

 

Originally slated for eight weeks on the sidelines, Clark said he was feeling positive and was pushing towards a quicker return.

 

"I’m not going to put a timeframe on it but hopefully it’ll be a little less time than what the physios are telling me," Clark said.

 

"I’ll be in their office nagging them every day and in Neeldy’s office telling him I’m ready.

 

"The foot’s feeling normal again for the first time in about 10 months so it’s a good sign."

 

Clark had a screw removed from his injury-battered right foot, the same foot that made him miss the last 10 games of 2012.

 

"When I originally did the first injury, I had staples inserted in there," he said.

 

"Just before Christmas I had those staples removed because I snapped one of those.

 

"While the surgeon was in there doing that surgery, the Lisfranc joint was a little bit loose so I had a screw inserted in there.

 

"The last few weeks I’ve been battling away with the foot a little bit.

 

"I got to the point where I wasn’t able to get up anymore so we decided to take the screw out and it’s relieved some pressure."

 

In a further positive boost for Melbourne, Chris Dawes booted three goals for Casey in the VFL on Saturday and could debut for the Demons next week against Gold Coast.