Long term injuries are always challenging but when the return date keeps getting further away, it can be a deflating experience.

VFL Cat Dan Capiron was ‘a few weeks away’ numerous times in 2018 but ultimately never took the field.

What started in preseason as some minor soreness escalated to an injury that had numerous complications.

“I got a bit of groin pain in December 2017 and I thought I’d only miss a session,” Capiron said.

“I tried to get back into running but still had that pain in my groin and hip, so I got a cortisone in my hip and tried running but it flared up again.

“They were trying to determine where the pain was coming from, so I had another cortisone in my hip, which didn’t work, then I had one in my groin area, which also didn’t work.”

The difficulties with Capiron’s injury forced him to the sidelines for the early part of the 2018 campaign, which proved to be a big loss for the VFL Cats.

The running defender was coming off a career-best year in 2017, playing all 18 games in his first year at the club.

Capiron’s stellar season earned him a top four finish in the Cats’ Best & Fairest and he was eager to recapture that form in the latter half of 2018.

Capiron made the decision to get surgery on his troublesome hip in the hope of playing later in the year.

“I went down to Tassie to see a guy for some surgery and clear up my hip,” he said.

“I felt good after it and was a couple of weeks off playing and then it just flared up again which was pretty deflating.

“It was just so close to getting back playing and then being thrown back to square one was the hardest thing.”

Despite his resilience and persistence, Capiron’s body let him down too many times and he was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Coming in to the 2019 campaign, Capiron was still harbouring the frustration that had built up throughout the season prior and was letting it affect his training.

“When I was struggling pre-Christmas, I used to crack it at myself for stuffing up kicks and be flat for about five minutes,” he said.

Some words of wisdom from coach Shane O’Bree helped Capiron change that negative mindset.

“(O’Bree) gave me an equation. It was E+R=O, which is event plus response equals outcome.

“He said that you can’t control the events that happen, but you can control your response to that event.”

“I took that mindset into my rehab and was able to have more control of what went on and it helped me get through it,” Capiron said.

With his new approach to training and recovery, the young Cat is no longer dwelling on his misfortunes and can look forward to the year ahead.

“There were some long nights and some tough rehab sessions but to be back out here feeling really fit, it was all worth it.”

“It’ll be nice to be on the park rather than in the coaches box this year.”

The VFL Cats will kick off their practice match campaign against Essendon on Thursday March 7.