Cory Gregson has had to overcome many setbacks in his short career, but he is back in the team and feels like his journey has started again.
Upon making his return against the Dees in round one, it concluded a long and frustrating journey for Gregson, who had not played an AFL match for 638 days.
“Everything led to that Sunday two weeks ago in Joel Selwood’s 250th game,” said Gregson.
“We just scraped over the line against the Demons and I felt like a new draftee again. Total relief, especially because of how the game ended, but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
"It 'washed away' the disappointment of missing the best part of two years recovering from a crack in his navicular bone."
“The injury was a strange one. My feet were feeling sore after games during 2016 but that isn’t hugely unusual. It felt like I had a bruised foot, so I just thought it was something similar and didn’t take too much notice of it."
“I travelled to Perth with the team in Round 17 that year as an emergency and was undertaking a running session the day after our game against Fremantle when I stepped in a pothole."
“Immediately, there was a lot of pain and I got a scan the next day that confirmed there was a crack in my navicular bone.”
Despite all the setbacks, the 21-year-old reflects on the experience with a positive mindset.
“I actually think I’ve become a better footballer due to all the games I’ve watched and through interacting with my teammates,” said the former Sacred Heart College footballer.
“You tend to see these from a different perspective when you’re not on the ground and I’ve picked up some things I wouldn’t necessarily have gotten otherwise.”
View the for story on the AFL Players website
