Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney refuses to concede his season is over despite a complex injury cloud still leaving him without a definitive return date.<\/p>\n
Viney, 32, has had trouble with his achilles and back this season, preventing him from playing alongside the retooled Demons under new coach Steven King.<\/p>\n
Melbourne sits in the logjam chasing Hawthorn in third after defeating the Hawks in Launceston on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
A return timeline remains frustratingly out of reach until he starts running, but Viney is confident he can still provide a late-season boost to the Dees\u2019 finals tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re going OK, we\u2019re ticking boxes, trying to keep pushing and play some footy this year, that\u2019s the goal with the team going so well,\u201d Viney said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike I said, it hasn\u2019t been a straightforward injury like I would\u2019ve liked and more complex one we\u2019re trying to find solutions to throughout the whole season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we\u2019ll get there eventually, it\u2019s just kind of hard to put an ETA on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWherever, whenever the footy is, I\u2019m just keen to get out there, play it, whether it\u2019s a minute or 90, just get out there and play footy again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no timeline on it. It\u2019s a really hard one to say this is the return date because I am not back running yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s obviously a fair bit of strength and conditioning that\u2019s got to go back on once I get back running.\u201d<\/p>\n
Viney admits the recovery and ambiguity about his return is a difficult mental hurdle compared with other long-term injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am no stranger to injury, but they\u2019ve been more like broken bones or ankle scopes, that kind of stuff, where once you have it done it\u2019s pretty clear and linear,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving the achilles and then having my back in the mix, it just hasn\u2019t been as clear cut and it\u2019s been focusing on the systems and building up my load again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely tough, not that doing an ACL or rupturing an achilles isn\u2019t a challenging injury, but similar to that you know you\u2019ve got 12 months of rehab.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy process has been much more, (I) feel like we\u2019re getting back \u2026 we thought we\u2019d be back at round 8, but it didn\u2019t seem to be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melbourne has an opportunity to keep pace with the pack vying for a second chance when it meets Richmond this Sunday at the MCG.<\/p>\n