PEOPLE outside footy clubs have an interesting view on injuries.

At this stage of the season, they might say there's no point a player in my situation trying to get back and that I should just rest up for next year.

But I don't want to sit on the sidelines for one more week than I have to. I've had enough and I want to get out there.

Next year's a long time away and if my injury does pull up worse from playing, what have I got to lose?

I could throw in the towel and risk nothing but then I've wasted months of training and rehab.

It's a pretty simple decision for me.

We're really competitive at this level, which is part of the reason why we get drafted. We want to play and we want to win, whether it's in the AFL or VFL.

I don't think I've played VFL since 2003, my first year at the club, but I can't wait to run out for North Ballarat on Saturday. I just love the thought of it.

The way I look at it now is that it's finally my chance and it will give me a fair bit of confidence. I've needed something to look forward to.

It's also important I have an influence on the game because North Ballarat is having a pretty good season and I don't want to jeopardise that by just being a spare body.

I hope to play one or two games with the Kangas before the year's over. It sounds like nothing but it would mean so much to me, especially as a springboard for the pre-season.

Being out for as long as I have, I was never going to come straight back into the senior side. That's the way it is.

Even when Nathan Buckley returned from his injury, it was through the VFL. I'm not comparing myself to Nathan, but what I'm saying is that it doesn't matter who you are.

Without knocking the VFL, the game pace and reaction time of AFL footy is so much quicker and for that reason you don't have as much control over your body. That's how injuries happen.

If a teammate goes down, it means less rotations and more work for the other guys in the side.

That's what's happened in my last four or five games where someone was injured and I couldn't get the rest that I needed. The groin copped an absolute whacking.

Thankfully, my body is coping a lot better than it was earlier on.

I'm pulling up less and less sore from sessions now, and bouncing back a lot quicker as well.

Training still pounds my hips and pelvis bones but that won't stop until after the season, when I can completely rest for about eight weeks.

Before it was a matter of how I was feeling day by day, but now I can plan a couple of days in advance.

And I know I've got something from the work I've done because my core strength is as good as it's ever been. If I didn't have the bone bruising, I'd be sweet as.

There's not a lot for us to prove in the last four rounds and even though it's a good opportunity to give the kids a taste, we also want to win every game we play.

It's disappointing we haven't won for so long. There hasn't been another drought like this in my time here.

You wouldn't know it though, because it's still an awesome place to be. The morale is great and we can't wait to get that first win under Crock, which hopefully comes on Sunday.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.