Too soft. Can’t play through pain. Mentally weak.

They’re all accusations Daniel Wells has heard before, and many times over. In football, perception can quite easily become reality, but the champion midfielder refuses to cop any criticism over his ability to push through the pain barrier in a bid to return from injury.

Those who know him well can also attest to his commitment, strength and dedication.

Recovering from minor Achilles surgery, the 30-year-old opened up to NMFC On Air, North’s new online radio show, and spoke about his most recent injury, his the media’s treatment of him and his chances of playing again this season.

PRESS PLAY above to listen to the full interview.

Wells believes perceptions of him changed for the worse in 2009 when he battled a severe case of Osteitis Pubis.

Then coach Dean Laidley was critical of Wells’ performances early on in the year and upon learning of the injury he was carrying, went on to cast doubt about its severity in public.

“That’s something that didn’t help me … as a young kid and early days I didn’t think I got supported greatly by the club in that instance,” Wells said.

“In life, people say things at the start and mud sticks and it’s unfortunate but sometimes it can work in your favour as well. You’ve just got to take it as it comes.”

Wells played the first three rounds of the season before being sidelined. His attempts to make a comeback were short-lived and he managed just four more games before pulling the pin on the year.

Laidley took aim, unhappy with the outcome.

"It's not disastrous, it's only small, but some people can play with injuries and probably some people can't," Laidley said.

Laidley’s comments sparked controversy and Wells began to doubt himself and his own assessment of the groin injury that was hindering his output. Misinformation about his injury and mindset spread rapidly, frustrating the star Roo.

“Even Laids (Laidley) felt a bit of the pressure because he asked me how am I going. I was pretty honest, I said ‘it’s bloody sore mate, like I can’t even run with it.’” Wells recalled.

“Even the coaches were being fed information that wasn’t exactly true. They’re getting frustrated.”

Wells was eventually booked in for surgery and the specialists discovered one of the worst cases of the condition they’d seen. Instead of being shattered by the news, Wells said instead, he felt vindicated.

“I was going into that surgery actually praying that it was really messed up inside because you start doubting yourself,” Wells revealed.

“No one wants to be known as a player that can’t play through injuries. There’s injuries you can play through, but there’s ones you actually can’t.

“Everyone wants to play and everyone wants to go out and do well but there comes a time when your body’s not right and you’re not doing yourself any justice and you’re not doing your team any justice.”

Following his experience with Osteitis Pubis, shoulder surgery and life threatening blood clots in 2013 and foot trouble in 2014, Wells said he has been forced to be more careful with the way he manages his body.

“This is how you pay your bills, this is how you live your life and if you start throwing your body around and being reckless with it, especially early doors, you’re not going to be able to live the lifestyle that you’ve been accustomed to,” he explained.

He’s also become accustomed to dealing with ‘bad press’.

“It can be a bit disappointing that people obviously make their judgement calls on, you know, without the facts … Most of the players go through the exact same things and I think we can be judged too harshly sometimes, thinking we’re supermen running around,” he said.

Wells hasn’t been the only player copping it for missing games with Suns’ captain Gary Ablett also on the receiving end.

“A lot of time people are just saying things and they don’t know the full story and what’s behind it. It’s too hard for them to know what’s going on with every single player, so sometimes they get a general idea … all of the sudden that’s enough for them to run with and it builds a perception sometimes.”

Wells injured his Achilles in Round 2 and said he was subbed out of the game at halftime in an effort to prevent serious injury and to ensure he’d be ready for the Port Adelaide game the following week.

Despite his best intentions, things didn’t go to plan.

“My initial thought was to get off, assess it and get ready for the next game,” he remembered.

“I felt it sort of getting a bit tight running around … it just tightened up … it’s hard to sort of pinpoint exactly when it was.

“If it’s enough pain to restrict me from running the way I need to run, my agility, then I’m gonna be almost a liability to the club and to my teammates.

“When you’re younger you don’t really know, you sort of just go with the flow and just listen to the doctors … once you get a bit older, you understand exactly what’s going on with your body and I knew at that point that my Achilles was too sore, too tight, too painful to keep going and was actually restricting me to do what I needed to do to contribute to the team.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries, I understand how they work.

“We really tested it out during the week again ... it got really fatigued really quickly after a few efforts.”

After a series of scans, tests, physiotherapy and even injections, Wells said the Achilles refused to improve.

“I’ve done everything to try and get back playing but it just hasn’t worked. It hasn’t responded well. The pain levels are still quite high so this (surgery) was the last resort.

“It’s just intense. It’s just the whole time, every step. Every step on the left side of your leg it just pounds at you and it’s just a real intense pain. After a while it gets a bit dull but it’s still intense and it actually starts to weigh on your mind and every step you do it’s like, bang, bang, bang.”

Just when he thought there was some light at the end of the tunnel, Wells said he hit yet another shattering hurdle.

“When things were going okay and actually making progress, I hurt my calf … that’s another thing that sets you back.”

Looking ahead, Wells hopes to be back in North colours before the end of the year and believes he can be a wildcard for the side in the finals, should North make it.

“It would be great to get back between four to six weeks, that would be amazing,” he said.

“I’ve missed two full seasons almost, so I’m definitely excited to play. I want to go out and show my worth and actually do well for the club, do well for myself and make sure we all get something out of it.