Astbury felt game was getting past himBrent Diamond
Football Nation
Jan 7. 2013 4:03 pmPROMISING Richmond defender David Astbury admits this pre-season has been “enormous” for him after finally going through his paces during pre-season injury-free.
Astbury said that he felt “the game had gears that I didn’t” at the end of last season, after having a taste of AFL footy playing the final couple of matches of the season.
“It’s been hard work but it’s my first one so far since being at the footy club, it’s definitely challenging but yeah I’m really enjoying it. I’m getting some training under my belt which I haven’t had in the past,” Astbury said.
“I suppose when you come out of rehab and you’re ready to go like I was last year to play a couple of games in the VFL, I felt fit and I felt like I was going Ok then once I stepped up to the AFL in the last couple of rounds, I just realised where I was at and how much work I had to do. I still felt like the game had gears that I didn’t so this pre-season has been enormous for me,” he said.
He said he was confident that he was over his knee problems in which he suffered from a dislocated kneecap before making his way back through the VFL ranks last season.
“Yeah I am. The last two months has been a huge progression for me, obviously the last couple of years I’ve had a few struggles with injuries particularly my knee. I’m looking forward to putting that behind me and continuing my pre-season and being fit for the season which would be nice.”
“It was really tough. Luckily I had Kel Moore at the time to get through session after session with but it is I suppose a pretty tough time and you can feel quite lonely in there but it does test you and hopefully it’s going to improve me long term,” he told Richmond’s website.
“I chipped away for probably six or seven weeks in the VFL. I hadn’t played footy for 12 months, I struggled . I think they were important to me to realise where I wanted to get to. I’ll be happy to get into the AFL side but still realise that I have a lot of work to do,” he said.
He said that he was hoping to prove “some value” on Richmond’s list this season.
“I just hope that being versatile is going to help me get more games. Probably at the minute, I’m training a little bit at both ends. I’m not really sure what Dimma (Damian Hardwick) has planned for me for the season. I just hope to get some game time and prove some value,” he said.
http://www.footballnation.com.au/afl/afl-clubs/astbury-felt-game-was-getting-past-him/
