YOU had a great first season in 2006 until a serious ankle injury occurred in round 22. How are you going following that injury setback?

Bartram: I've had a fairly interrupted pre-season so it's been different in that regard to last year. Now I need to show the coaching staff I'm fit enough to play in the early rounds and that my form has been good enough with Sandringham. Hopefully I'll push back up for senior selection.

How hard is it having an interrupted pre-season?

Bartram: Fitness wise, I've been all right because I've done a lot of pool work and other work to get the lungs really blowing. But it's a totally different story until you've played matches because you can't get match fitness until then. It's something I've got to do and I've got to pick up a couple of extra games along the way and hopefully I'll get that fitness right up, so I'm ready to play again.

How did you cope following the operation?

Bartram: It was mostly in the off-season so it was a little bit easier to deal with and a few more blokes had operations at the end of the year. It's very mentally draining. You can't really do much except sit at home when you want to be out there training with the boys. It's more about staying positive and looking at the bigger picture rather than trying to get back really early.

Has the operation helped or dented your confidence in any way?

Bartram: I'm confident in the way the ankle has healed. It gave me a bit of time to sit back and rest my body, which was needed after last year as it was pretty full-on and intense. I'm more confident now that I can perform. I don't have any issues with it.

You impressed with Sandringham last weekend, gaining 17 disposals in the first half. How did you feel after your first hit-out for the year?

Bartram: It was good to get out there and get a couple of touches early. I wanted to play another quarter but the coaching staff said, 'It's a good time to pull up stumps, mate', which was probably a good move in hindsight. It's just good to be back out there again. I've been telling them that I'm right for round one but that's up to the coaching staff and I don't have much input in that. If they think I'm ready, then they'll play me and if I'm not, then a week or two at ‘Sandy’ won't hurt me.

In a snapshot, how do you look back on your first AFL season?

Bartram: It was as big a surprise to me, playing, and it was such a good feeling to run out every weekend with blokes like 'Neita' (David Neitz), 'Brucey' (Cameron Bruce) and 'Robbo' (Russell Robertson). I didn't really expect too much to come out of last year and everything that happened was just a bonus. Unfortunately I hurt my ankle in round 22 but that's the highs and lows of football – one week you're flying and the next week you're sitting on the sidelines for the next six months.

You became a noted run-with player last year. Will that be your role again in 2007?

Bartram: I'd obviously like to run around getting 40 kicks but that's not going to be my role for my team. I'm happy being a run-with player and learning my craft and it's one of the best ways to learn when you are running around with the best players in the AFL. They teach you a couple of tricks and everyone has something new so I'd certainly enjoy doing that again this year.

How did you handle being thrust into the AFL last year?

Bartram: It is a bit daunting but if you have a chat to a few of the older blokes, they do give you a few tips. The fact that you have to get away and do something else is also important. My schooling last year, completing year 12, helped. I was always ducking back home, seeing my parents, going for a surf and clearing the mind, which brings you back fresh and ready to go for the next week.

Even though you didn't have the upheaval of a move interstate, you still had to move from the Victorian coastal town of Ocean Grove to play in the AFL. How did you find that experience?

Bartram: I miss not living near a good beach. I get down to St Kilda but the sand and water isn't as nice and there are no waves so it's different living away from home. It is difficult but my parents are only an hour down the road and that's a good thing. I can go back home whenever I want and whenever I'm feeling down. But the biggest thing is learning to grow up and you do that pretty quickly when you move out of home.

Was there any particular player who took you under their wing last season?

Bartram: I get along well with all of the young blokes but when I first came down, Brent Moloney looked after me really well. Being a fellow Geelong boy, Brent took me under his wing a bit and showed me how it was done. I try to follow the older players around, learn off them and see what they've done to be successful and they're all pretty good models. They all do the right things in society and study, so it's good learning off those boys.