After an injury-interrupted start to his AFL career, Sydney Swans defender Nic Newman is enjoying every moment of being back on the training track.

Newman, 22, was drafted by the Swans from VFL club Frankston with pick 35 in the 2015 Rookie Draft.

But minor knee surgery before Christmas interfered with the mature-aged recruit’s plans for a full pre-season.

“It wasn’t the best start to my time at the Swans,” Newman said.

“I injured myself training with my VFL club before I got drafted and I got up here on crutches, which wasn’t ideal.

“The club got me straight into surgery and I had a little clean out and I‘ve been in rehab since I got up here pretty much.”

The left-footed defender resumed running a fortnight ago in a bid to rejoin full training as soon as possible.

“I was training in the dungeon – in the altitude room – every Monday, Wednesday, Friday so it’s been great to get back out there on the training track,” he said.

“It’s been a building process – I’ve got to get my fitness standards up so I can join the main group for training.

“I’ll just be trying to build on my running and fitness base each session and improve as quickly as possible.

“Hopefully I’ll be right for round one.”

Despite the injury setback during his first pre-season, Newman said he had settled well in Sydney and was loving being at the Swans.

“It’s been awesome – it’s been a bit of a whirlwind couple of months,” he said.

“The club’s been really welcoming and I’ve felt at home straight away.

“I’ve moved in with Zak Jones and George Hewett – Zak and I knew each other from back down on the Mornington Peninsula.”

Newman, who won the Fothergill-Round Medal for the VFL’s best young player last season, said he was enjoying the challenges of being an AFL footballer.

“It’s a whole different thing been a full-time footballer compared to working and then going to training,” he said.

“You spend a lot more time at the footy club.

“It’s a lot more intense and there’s a lot more pressure – I ‘ve been trying to adapt to that as best as possible.”

Newman, who has been mentored by fellow half-back Rhyce Shaw, said he had tried to learn as much as possible off the field to boost his development while he had been injured.

He’s also been able to draw on the experience of Swans legend and dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes, who has had to overcome his fair share of knee injuries.

“As much as it’s not ideal you’ve got to make the most of it,” Newman said.

“For me it’s been about watching as much vision as I can, speaking to all the coaches and trying to soak up everything I can.

“I’ve been trying to watch guys like Rhyce Shaw and Nick Smith off the back line and I‘ve been in with John Blakey looking at some vision.”

With the start of the season just around the corner, Newman is now hoping to prove himself on the field.

“As soon as you get drafted, you obviously can’t help but think about playing senior footy,” he said.

“Getting off the rookie list is obviously the first stage, but I can’t really look too far ahead.

“For me, it’s about trying to get out there, playing some games and proving to the coaches that I can play.”