Melbourne co-captain Jack Viney is aiming to return to senior football for the Demons' Round 18 clash with Port Adelaide at the MCG.
Viney, who succumbed to a foot injury against the Swans in Round 15, was initially expected to be sidelined until the final few rounds of the season. However, the 23-year-old says he now expects to be able to return to the field earlier than expected.
“I’m not too sure (when I’ll return, but), hopefully in the next couple of weeks,” he told the club's website.
“I’m going to try and get up for the Port Adelaide game (Round 18), but at this stage we’re just taking it day by day. We’re just seeing how my pain is and what I’m able to do and go from there.
“It’s hard because I want to try and get back as quickly as I can, but I can’t look past what I’ve got to do on the day unfortunately."
Viney, who said the surgery went well, admitted the injury had been affecting him for some time.
“The surgery was a success and I’m just into rehab at the moment, to try and get off the crutches," he said.
"Hopefully, within the next couple of days, I’ll be off those, then I’ll walk around for a couple of days and then I’ll get into some running and I’ll be back before you know it.
“I can’t really weight-bear through it and walk properly. So, my main goal is to do lots of little exercises to get me up to walking, then when I start walking I can get into some weight bearing stuff.
"It was probably sore for a year or so.
"I've just been managing it and then it just gave way during the Sydney game, and then I partially tore it, which is the worse of the two things that could happen – where you can fully tear it as well.
"I just went into surgery to get it fully done and on to recovery."
