IT HAS been a long, hard two years for Jade Gresham. Just when the St Kilda star had the AFL world at his feet in 2020 – after finishing fourth and then sixth in two consecutive Trevor Barker Awards – it all went wrong.

First the 2015 first-round draft pick suffered a sizeable stress fracture in his back and missed the second half of 2020, including both finals in Brett Ratten’s first full season in charge. Then disaster struck again when Gresham ruptured his Achilles tendon in round three of 2021, wiping out another significant winter of football.

Managing only 14 games in two years wasn’t the plan and it has been far more challenging and isolating than Gresham initially thought it would be, especially given the events of the past two years. But the now more mature Gresham is back in full training and eyeing a round one return.

"The last two years have been really hard for me, especially mentally, I’ve found. Not being able to play for basically the past two years has been a bit of a rollercoaster," Gresham told AFL.com.au from inside RSEA Park last week. 

"I think it’s helped me a lot – I can take a lot of positives out of it – it’s made me a lot more resilient. I’ve learned a lot about myself in that time around how professional you need to be and how you need to look after your body.

"Now I’m trying not to take footy for granted. Every time I run out to train I’m just grateful that I’m out there having a kick with my mates. Your mindset changes a lot doing all that rehab work. Although it was a really hard two years, it’s going to be better for me in the long run."

Professionalism was not a word many associated with Gresham before 2020. He was always one of, if not, the most talented player on every team he has ever played on. From South Morang to the Northern Knights, Vic Metro to St Kilda, Gresham has always been able to do things others can only dream of.

But despite his strong start to his career in red, white and black, coaches, senior players and high performance staff were always trying to get him to dedicate more time and effort to all the little things that matter at the highest level. Now the 24-year-old knows how to dot his i’s and cross his t’s, discovering a silver lining during the most challenging period of his football career.

"It [the injuries] has definitely made me way more professional. I’ve never really loved weights and all the other stuff – recovery and diet – but now I love that kind of stuff and got to know how important it is for me to train and how all the little things actually matter. I’ve come a long way in that aspect. I’d like to think I’m now pretty diligent in that stuff. You’ve got to be to get yourself up every week," he said.

In a similar vein to Jordan De Goey at Collingwood, Toby Greene at Greater Western Sydney and Jake Stringer at Essendon, discussions inside St Kilda’s match committee have regularly focused on how to get the most out of Gresham. Is he a permanent forward? Is he a midfielder? Can we rob Peter to pay Paul?

After kicking 30 goals in 2018 and 35 in 2019, Gresham has shown he is capable of kicking more than 50 goals in a season. But when you watch Gresham weave through traffic around stoppages and deliver the ball with pinpoint precision inside 50, you can see why some inside St Kilda think he can be better utilised as a midfielder. The question mark has always been on his endurance – or lack thereof – but now Gresham has improved his elite traits and built his tank to a level where he can now spend more time in the middle than ever before.

"Yes, I definitely feel like I can play more in the middle. I’ll still play forward, but I like to think I’m now the fittest I’ve ever been and the strongest I’ve ever been," he said.

"Hopefully all that time in rehab – you get really fit being in rehab – I feel really fit and healthy and hopefully I can stay like that. I’d like to think I can play a bit more mid, but also play forward as well."

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a similar amount of people to get a player back on the back following such a serious injury. St Kilda rehab co-ordinator Marcus Krygger has been with Gresham every step of the way, motivating when he’s flat and challenging him when he needed it. Head physiotherapist Richard Citreon has been heavily involved, as has small defender Ben Paton, who is also on the comeback trail after breaking his leg this time last year.

"Ben Paton was out all year and me and him had the exact same timeframe. We did everything together. Me and him leaned on each other throughout the whole year and became good mates," he said.

"He’s another one that really helped me throughout the year. I think if I didn’t have someone in rehab with me all year I would have struggled. It was good to have someone to work with. He pushed me all last year."

While he has been watching on from afar, Gresham has had to watch players from his draft class blossom into bona fide stars of the competition. Melbourne picked Clayton Oliver at No.4 and Essendon took Darcy Parish the pick later in 2015, 13 spots before the Saints swooped on Gresham late in the first round. Oliver and Parish both earned Therabody AFL All-Australian blazers in 2021 and both finished top five in the Brownlow Medal.

"You always keep a close tab on the ones you are drafted with. To see those two boys do well it definitely motivates me. No doubt you look at some of the people who got picked around you and it motivates you heaps, especially when you’re not playing," he said.

Gresham has transitioned back into full training since the Saints returned from the Christmas break. His Achilles is no longer a concern, but his back is something he must keep a close eye on to ensure he doesn’t break down again. He is expecting to play a half in the intraclub next month before building up his minutes against Carlton in the practice match. From there, Gresham will be ready to make up for lost time.