Young midfielder Clint Bartram spoke exclusively to MELBOURNEfc TV about his return to football with Sandringham and the long road which saw him get there.

It was 344 days ago that Melbourne fans last saw Clint Bartram running out onto the MCG in a red and blue guernsey, and at just 20 years of age, he is one player who already knows the highs and lows of AFL football.

After being picked with Melbourne’s last selection (Pick 60) in the 2005 National Draft, Bartram surprised many by playing all 22 home and away games in 2006. Following this, a cruel ankle injury suffered against the Crows saw him miss the finals, and was the beginning of a dismal run with injury.

“I ended up tearing the ligaments in my ankle against the Crows. I had to go and get my ankle pinned so that the ligaments could heal and repair”, Bartram told MELBOURNEfc TV.

Bartram worked through a challenging rehab and training program over the 2006-2007 summer to get his body right. After playing in two practice matches Bartram was thrilled to get the call up to play against the Saints in Round One, but another mishap was just around the corner.

“In the lead up to Round Two, I ended up tearing some cartilage in my knee, in a bit of one-on-one contest work with Brent Moloney at training. That was obviously devastating, after coming back from a big ankle injury and working so hard, with the rehab and training.

“I ended up having eight weeks more rehab, trying to get myself right. At the same time Russell Robertson was going through a similar sort of thing and we were both on track, but then in Round 13 the medical staff said they were going to take me back in for another operation to get the knee cleaned up, because it wasn’t quite healing right. That was again pretty devastating to hear that there was a whole year down the drain that you weren’t able to play football.”

A difficult period for any young player, Bartram explained that the people who were closest to him helped him stay positive. “I think a lot of help from my family and friends helped, it was a very frustrating and challenging time. All the boys have been really good, any time I was around the Club we would go get lunch or have a chat. I just tried to take the positives out of anything.”

Bartram said that a phone call to Brownlow Medallist and Adelaide champion Andrew McLeod was a crucial insight into how to handle an injury of his nature. 

“I had a chat to Andrew McLeod about how he has handled his preparation, because he pretty much has no cartilage at all in his knee, I think I’m two-thirds better off then what he is.

“It was good to hear how he went about it and what sort of stuff he does. He is obviously very professional, and he’s been through it al,l so it was really good to have a chat to him.”

A crucial contributor to the Melbourne playing list, Bartram was missed last year, but will begin his playing preparation for Round One when he takes the field for Sandringham against the Casey Scorpions on Saturday evening.

“Yeah, obviously I’m pretty excited, it’s been 344 days, so I’m really looking forward to getting out there and playing a game of football. All the boys have been really supportive and they’re fully behind me, so hopefully I can go out there and have a bit of a run out there on Saturday.

“It’s been a year long rehabilitation process. I’ve been at the physio four or five times a week, I have done a lot of riding and swimming to get the lungs back up and running, and now I’m doing all the off the line stuff, so my knee has held up really well to that.

“The coaches are planning to play me for about 50 percent of the game, and hopefully I can do that in the midfield so I can get a few kicks and get my confidence up.”

After such a long time out of the game, you couldn’t blame him for being a little nervous. But come game time, Bartram doesn’t think that will pose an issue.

“I’m a little bit nervy thinking about it now, but on the weekend I’ll be right. I’ve been playing football my whole life, and that’s what I love doing so I’m more excited than nervous to get out there.”

* To view the entire Clint Bartram MELBOURNEfc TV interview, please click here *