Ed Vickers-Willis is staying positive despite undergoing his second shoulder reconstruction in as many years.

The young defender injured his right limb in a tackling drill in Utah in December but has vowed to ensure it won't derail his 2016 season.

“I had surgery about four weeks ago. I’m doing a lot of strengthening work and slowly getting that range back so I can then get back to training in a few months,” he told NMFC.com.au.

“I’ve still got three or four months until the VFL season starts. It’s a four-month injury, so bang on four months from the surgery to the start of the season.

“It was just a simple tackling drill. Nothing out of the ordinary. I reached out to tackle (Taylor Garner) and felt my shoulder move,” he said.

Selected with pick No.36 in the 2014 Draft, Vickers-Willis had his first season at Arden Street cut short when he injured his left shoulder playing in the VFL with Werribee.

“It’s a long recovery but I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead. Hopefully I won’t miss too many games.

“Unfortunately, when you’ve had the left shoulder go and had shoulder reconstructions, you know something’s not right.”

The youngster cuts a lonely figure in the club's rehabilitation program with the majority of players fit and available to train ahead of the NAB Challenge in mid-February.