“SLOWLY and steady” is how young midfielder Rory Taggert describes his progress from a second back injury sustained during his first AFL listed season.

“We’ve taken a bit more caution in it, so I can make sure I get it right before I attempt any running or big contact,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“It’s been a lot slower than last time, so it’s been a bit more frustrating.

“I’m about two weeks off running, and I’m slowly starting to get some weights into my program.”

Taggert, who was Melbourne’s first selection in last year’s NAB AFL Draft (No. 36 overall), has endured a tough season.

He has managed just three matches for Casey, in late April/May, as much of his time at the club has been hindered by two separate back issues.

Taggert suffered a stress fracture in his right ‘L5’ (fifth lumber vertebrae) in January this year. Aside from some back stiffness during a growth spurt when he was 14 years old, Taggert hadn’t had any back problems previously.

But he first felt his back twinge when he kicked across his body during a pre-season training session.

“The first time I got that pain, it felt like it was something in my hip,” he said.

“I got it worked on, but most people with stress fractures are in a huge amount of pain, whereas I was in a little bit of pain.

“But they said it wasn’t that one incident that made it occur. There were heaps of other things taken into account - full-time training, full-time weights and training from two times a week. It was a big difference to my body, and I couldn’t quite cope with it.”

But soon after he played his first match for Casey in the VFL, Taggert was back on the sidelines after aggravating the left side of his ‘L5’.

“Due to overcompensation, I now have it in my left side,” he said.

“I went and saw the head of Australian cricket’s [medical] guru and he said ‘it’s really common that it can happen to the other side’. So it was just a matter of time until it went, which was pretty annoying.

“I did most things right until I came back and started playing, but I couldn’t really control what happened.”

After playing his first match in the VFL, Taggert pulled up well. But it was following his second match that he started to get concerned.

“I was in a fair bit of pain. That night, I couldn’t get out of bed or do anything without being in a lot of pain,” he said.

“The next week I came out and I was happy with my game and I thought I’d got rid of it.

“But during training that week, I did a big spoil and landed on my left leg heavily and felt it then. I was sent off for scans and it was another one.”

Despite his tough initiation into the AFL, Taggert has soaked up being part of a club environment.

“Before you’re drafted, you don’t actually know what goes on,” he said.

“But once you’re here, you can see everything you do, and it’s definitely for a reason.

“It’s the best program I’ve been in, but it’s better than I thought it would be.”

Taggert, who played much of his junior career in attack, said the club had earmarked him as a midfielder. He said his brief taste in the middle gave him an idea of things to come long term.

“The first day I came here, they said I was a midfielder, which was a bit different, because I grew up as a forward my whole life,” he said.

“It’s a new thing to play in the midfield and I’ll learn a lot and I feel like I learned a lot already, even when I did play in the VFL.

“I’ve still got a long way to go, but hopefully I’ll get there eventually.”

Originally from the Horsham Saints via North Ballarat U18s, Taggert conceded it had been “a long year”, but one which he had also relished.

“I was on a real high getting drafted, but then I couldn’t train after December, because I had something wrong with my shin,” he said.

“I was in full-time training just before Christmas, and when you’re doing that, you really feel part of it. But when you’re in rehab, it’s pretty lonely sometimes.”

Despite hailing from the Wimmera, Taggert relocated to St Pat’s Ballarat before coming to Melbourne. Although saying he misses the country lifestyle, Taggert has embraced the city.

“That helped me a lot, moving for boarding school,” he said.

“I’ve gone from Mum and Dad helping me with everything to St Pat’s at boarding school and I started doing an apprenticeship.

“I then had to look after my own money and if I was sick, I had to make the appointments, so I had to really grow up a lot then and I felt like I matured a lot.”

Taggert is currently with a host family, but is looking to move out with fellow first year Demons Josh Tynan and Jai Sheahan at season’s end.

But for the immediate future, Taggert said he would focus on his rehabilitation program, with an emphasis on building his core in the lead up to the pre-season. He added that he was “pretty confident” that there wouldn’t be any further problems.

“The program I’ve been given, I haven’t had any pain with it, so they’re slowly starting to ramp it up for me,” he said.

“So I should be right for the first day of pre-season.”