Swans midfielder Brett Meredith could have been forgiven for thinking the worst when he went down with a knee injury during a reserves match last month.

The heavy landing, the sharp pain and the moment of shock were all too familiar to Meredith, who has battled a series of niggling injuries for the best part of the last 12 months.

But this time luck was on the 23-year-old’s side, with the knee injury setting him back just one week, allowing the young Swan the chance to get back on track for the 2012 season.

“I went down pretty heavily and thought I’d done something pretty bad at first,” Meredith told sydneyswans.com.au about the incident.

“It turned out to be a bit of a stinger and I jumped back up and was jogging around on the bench after that.

“I was only out for one week with a bit of bone bruising, so I guess I was pretty lucky.”

Meredith spent the majority of the 2011 season on the cusp of senior selection.

The midfielder was the substitute against Essendon in round two before a series of groin and hamstring niggles halted his quest for senior selection.

The young player said last year’s injury concerns were disappointing, but added that they never allowed him to lose sight of his goal to get the call up to senior footy.

“It was pretty frustrating last year especially because there were a couple of games where I was really close to getting a senior game,” Meredith said about his injury interrupted 2011 season.

“Then a couple of times at training I hurt my hamstring, so it was really hard,”

“I guess you’ve just got to sort of forget about it and push through, and just keep putting your name out there for senior selection which is what I kept doing.”

Meredith’s hard work paid off late in the season, and his efforts were rewarded when he was selected for the round 23 clash with Geelong at Skilled Stadium.

Meredith said being a part of the winning Swans side in Geelong was an amazing experience.

“I was obviously pretty nervous because I hadn’t played for a while,” he said.

“It was great to be in the seniors, and especially in a great win like that.

“It was just amazing to be a part of that, it was just great.”

This year, Meredith is just as determined to get back amongst the seniors.

He said he intends to make the most of his time in the Swans reserves, where he hopes to be a regular and reliable contributor.

“There are definitely a lot of talented players playing in the reserves, so playing there helps you become better because they push you and I push them.

“Hopefully I get a good game under my belt this week and play well and then just build on that.

“Then after that I can hopefully start playing some good, consistent footy.”

Meredith acknowledged that consistency will be the key to improving his football in 2012, and that it will be an important factor in gaining selection.

“What you need to do is be consistent and play well every single week, and I know that’s what I need to start doing,” he said.

“I know I’ve just got to string a couple of games together first of all.

“I haven’t managed to play two together yet, but I’m just aiming to get a bit of form together and get a few good games and hopefully I can push for senior selection if I’m playing well and doing all the right things.”