All Hugo Mikunda could do at one Geelong Falcons pre-season training was cook sausages on the barbecue. <\/p>\n
The quick and creative forward-mid started feeling pain through his back in August last year, and a scan revealed a stress fracture on his right side. <\/p>\n
Just when he got his body right, Mikunda suffered another stress fracture on the other side of his back. <\/p>\n
\u201cGot to December, got right, had a month running, and then my other side went, had the stress fracture on the other side,\u201d Mikunda said. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo then followed another program with that. That one the pain disappeared pretty quickly. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sitting on the sidelines, I couldn\u2019t run, could just handball to a friend \u2013 that was pretty much it. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019m seeing all my mates out there training, getting better, enjoying themselves. And it\u2019s challenging, but these little injuries like this definitely shape you.\u201d <\/p>\n
As draft hopefuls were preparing for the season ahead, Mikunda was clocking kilometres on the bike and performing seated boxing.<\/p>\n
Like any good comedian, he was punching up. <\/p>\n
\u201cJust sitting there and punching up, so that was a workout. Because it\u2019s good for your shoulders and you get a bit of cardio out of it. That was certainly hard though,\u201d Mikunda said. <\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of core and pelvic control strengthening around the back. But it was mainly throughout the core. Tried to fix my posture as much as I could, but there was a lot of hours on the bike sitting there trying to turn the legs over to try and stay fit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learnt so much about my body throughout that period, which I think helped me throughout that back end of the year. But then I trusted myself, trusted the people around me, and eventually I got right to be able to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 180 centimetre playmaker managed to get back for round four of the Coates Talent League, but didn\u2019t play as he would have liked until the national championships with Vic Country. <\/p>\n
It was there that two performances against South Australia and Vic Metro ensured the speedster \u2013 who ran a lightning quick 2.86-second 20 metre sprint last year \u2013 wasn\u2019t forgotten by clubs. <\/p>\n
His 18 disposals, 11 score involvements, nine marks, six score assists and a goal in Vic Country\u2019s defeat to the Croweaters stood out in the eyes of recruiters and underlined his key traits as a high half-forward \u2014 a role that is underrated yet crucial in the modern game. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost (recruiters) have said that South Australia game. Didn\u2019t have a lot of the footy, but I think had high impact,\u201d Mikunda said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s what I try and model my game around. Don\u2019t need a lot of the footy, but high impact for me is what I use my strengths for to be able to be a high impact player. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy speed and power are two big attributes, especially these days. The game\u2019s built on running. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo to be able to have that speed to get from inside to outside and then also have a decent tank, are awesome attributes for me to be able to play at that high level. <\/p>\n
\u201cI still definitely want to try and improve as much as I can, try and carry the ball as much as I can, but it\u2019s just a work in progress. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith my athletic profile, they (AFL clubs) really want to see me use it as much as I can, fly for my marks, burn people, chase them down, use my running capability to get from inside to outside as quick as I can.\u201d <\/p>\n
Clubs were just as impressed by his VFL display for Werribee, which was the Bell Park product\u2019s first senior game. <\/p>\n