North Melbourne young gun Jack Ziebell has vowed to return to football in time to play finals should his side
make it.

“It sort of gives me something to work towards now, but as I said the scans haven’t come back yet and once we get the results and we know what the verdict is and we know how long I’ll be out we can make a plan to come back,” Ziebell said after having an MRI at Vic House in Prahran on Monday.

The 19 year-old fractured a bone in his leg during the Kangaroos’ loss to Geelong on Sunday.

“Hopefully it’s not as bad as first thought…it might be six to eight weeks but as I said I’m not too sure at this stage.”

Ziebell says he’s been hard done by after sustaining a similar injury in round 12 last year.

“It’s a bit lower than the last time and it’s a different bone as well. Last year I broke the fibula and this year I fractured the tibia, so it’s a bit disappointing.

“I’ve just been a bit out of luck two years in a row, but that’s footy and you’ve got to live with that.”

Early indications are the break will heal without the need for surgery.

“Hopefully it will heal on its own,” Ziebell said.

“It felt pretty similar (to last year)…a little bit more painful this year I think. It’s pretty shattering.”

Despite the news, Ziebell remains upbeat and confident in his ability to make a successful return sooner rather than later.

“It’s pretty disappointing but I think it’s part and parcel of footy these days…you get injuries and you have to deal with them. I’ve just got to get back on the horse and just got to work really hard in rehab now and make sure I do everything right to get back and if we play finals, get back for that.”