Injured Adelaide defender Wayne Milera is on the comeback trail after suffering a season-ending knee injury in March earlier this year.
Milera ruptured the patella tendon in his right knee after landing awkwardly in a marking contest during the Crows' Round 3 clash against Fremantle.
The 26-year-old had previously suffered the same injury in his left knee, which saw him miss the entire 2021 season.
But after having surgery in early April, Milera can see light at the end of the tunnel and is progressing well with his rehabilitation.
Milera told Adelaide's media team that his recovery was going 'nicely'.
"The early stages of the recovery have been really positive, and hopefully that can continue throughout the whole rehab," the Narungga, Gunditjmara and Jardwadjali man said.
"I've just started to get back on the bike, so it's been great to get my legs moving again after a long lay-off.
"Having gone through the injury before, it's been good to know what to expect and I've been able to find ways to undergo the recovery process a bit better this time around."
The injury was a disappointing blow for the 26-year-old, who was coming off a statistically career-best season in 2023.
Milera is currently sitting on 99 games for the Crows since debuting in 2016, after being drafted with selection number 11 in the 2015 AFL Draft.
The injury-prone Crow has managed just one 20-plus game season across is nine-year career.
Despite the frustrations of another long-term injury, the silky-skilled defender is choosing to exhibit a positive mindset.
"If I can bring a positive attitude to the club and help lift the guys around me, whether they be in the rehab group or not, that's been my way of trying to contribute while not being out on the field," he said.
"Right at the beginning of the process, the biggest focus I had was attacking the long rehab process with the best mindset possible.
"For me that has been to be as positive as I can, coming into the Club with a smile on my face, and attacking all the recovery exercises in the best frame of mind."
Milera told the club that he a silver-lining to the injury was the opportunity to spend more time with his wife and young son.
The Central District junior will look to progress his rehabilitation program over the next fortnight, which will include working on building strength in his legs.
"I've got two weeks left of the block I'm in at the moment and then I'll move into the next phase, which will be all about building strength back up in my quad," Milera said.
"From there it will be progressing to running, which if things keep going the way at the moment should hopefully happen at around the end of the season."
