Gold Coast Suns top-10 draft pick Elijah Hollands says he should be right for selection around April or May after suffering an early ACL injury in 2020.
Hollands, who the Suns selected with pick seven in Wednesday night’s draft, says he’s feeling a lot more confident in his knee as his rehabilitation progresses.
“I’m moving really well at the moment,” Hollands told Sam Edmund on SEN Mornings on Thursday.
“I’m really starting to feel free in terms of my running and gym stuff as well. There’s nothing that’s really holding me back anymore and I’m starting to get that confidence back which is good."
Hollands admitted that he’s taking his recovery day by day and is not necessarily hellbent on pushing for selection in round one next season.
“In terms of when I’ll be available for selection, I guess that will be out of my hands,” Hollands said.
“The 12-month mark (since the injury) will be the start of March, so I don’t know if there will be any aspirations in terms of trying to rush things and playing some footy.
“There’re obviously the long-term goals that are set first. Maybe somewhere in April or May, if all things go well, but we’ll see where things are at."
The Murray Bushrangers midfield-forward hybrid, who slid to the Suns’ pick seven after many pundits tipped him to go in the top five, said he is starting to increase his running in his bid to return to footy.
“I’m starting to amp up my running volume and get some kilometres in the legs which is good,” he said.