Blease, who was selected at No. 17 in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, had his first year ruined by the injury, and it troubled him during his first two seasons.
Although he debuted in round 15, 2011 and played five matches last year, Blease upped the ante with 16 appearances in 2012 - a fine achievement, after a tough start to his career, one which he thought may never transpire.
“When I had my broken leg, there were those points in time when you thought that you may never come back and play,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“Rehab’s not a great place to be, and you’re pretty secluded and away from everyone, and you’re not involved as much in the group.
“I really enjoy being around the boys and training each day.”
But Blease said the injury is at the forefront of his preparation each match.
“I always get it taped and always have my ankles taped. I ice it up after every game - it’s just precautionary,” he said.
“Week to week I don’t really notice it too much.
“I’ve been able to manage it with the docs and physios, and the treatment I got early on has set me up to play at a point in time where there was a chance of never coming back from it.
“But I put all the work in with the physios and the docs and the fitness guys and I haven’t had too much trouble with it.”
Blease conceded he had his “ups and downs” during his career, but he was pleased to finally be able to start establishing an AFL career.
“Just little things I’ve worked [on] with Neeldy and Craigy and my line coaches Satts and Browny have really helped drill in some aspects of what they’ve wanted me to work on,” he said.
“I still think I’ve got a lot of improvement to do, which is good for me. I’ve been able to show that I can play at the level, but I just want to get the consistency right, so I can keep doing it for four quarters.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to stay more involved in the game and I look forward to the challenges this pre-season. It’s going to be tough, but I think the rewards from doing it - you can’t put a price on it.”
