IN THE cut and thrust of the AFL season, names confined to the long-term injury list can often be forgotten.

Until now, Sydney Swans' Lewis Roberts-Thomson was one of those names on the ‘indefinite’ list. The talented defender is finally down to single figures in the weeks count opposite his name on the injury list and should make a return to competitive football within a month.

It’s a recovery process that’s been long and drawn out for the 23-year-old.

The injury first occurred in round 19 last year against the Demons. At first, Roberts-Thomson didn’t realise how serious the injury was.

“I felt a shift in my foot. I just thought it was minor at the time,” Roberts-Thomson says.

“Because I was in the middle of a game, playing, in the heat of the battle you don’t really stop to think about it but then afterwards it started to feel sore. Initially we didn’t know what it was. We didn’t think it was serious. Then scans revealed it was a dislocation of the foot. It’s a very unusual injury and unfortunately I was on the receiving end of it.”

Despite the diagnosis, Roberts-Thomson continued to play with the injury for the remainder of the season.

“When it came to the crunch, I was able to prepare myself the best I possibly could for the weekend and the medical staff have procedures they can do to get me on to the field.I was always able to prove my fitness during the week so I played on,” Roberts-Thomson explains.

However, he admits that carrying an injury and not always finding your best form can be frustrating, as supporters and media commentators don’t know that you’re not at you physical peak.

“A lot of people don’t understand what’s really going on inside the footy club. Towards the end of the season, a lot of players are carrying injuries anyway. It’s only natural that players would be taking the field with a slight injury,” Roberts-Thomson says.

“Of course none of that comes out in the media and it’s only internally that you know about these issues.”

But was it wise to play on through the season carrying such an injury?

“You might say that in hindsight but I was able to get through and I did play in a Grand Final,” he says.

“You want to be perceived as a hard, tough player. You want to be able to play through some injuries. You’ve got to draw the line somewhere though.”

For him, that line came after further investigation into the injury in the off season.

“Scans revealed that the bones around the initial injury really started to deteriorate and I think what did happen is I ended up having stress fractures and ligament damage,” Roberts-Thomson says.

The new diagnosis, which initiated a long and drawn out recovery process for the defender, has meant that he is yet to play a game this season.

With his foot totally immobilised, Roberts-Thomson has spent eight weeks in a waterproof plaster cast, during which time he spent his days with a swimming squad.

He then spent a further eight weeks in a moon boot, working on his upper body strength using weights and boxing.

Thankfully, he is now only weeks away from making a return.

“I’m in the final stages of my rehab now. It’s all about ticking all the boxes and going out there and making sure that I’m 100 per cent,” Roberts-Thomson says.

He hasn’t been idle during his recovery though, working alongside the coaches and doing his homework on the opposition.

“During the week I’ve become a kind of an assistant defensive coach to Peter Berbakov,” Roberts-Thomson explains.

“I do forward scouting on the opposition. I look at a few of their newer players, edit a bit of video footage about them and put a few slides together. I then present it to the defensive group on a weekly basis.

“While I’m not playing, I’m doing as much as I can off the field to stay involved with the club. I’m still part of all the meetings to see team structures and get a feel for the different matchups that are going to happen off the field,” Roberts-Thomson says.

However, he insists that he’s not quite ready for full time coaching yet.

“I don’t think Roosy should be worried about his job,” Roberts-Thomson jokes.“It has given me a better understanding of how much analysis of the game there is. I’ve found it quite enjoyable to have a look at the opposition. Now I understand what the coaches have to do when they have to review a game and preview the upcoming game and just how technical it does get.”

LRT says he just can’t wait to be back in the Swans jumper.

“As a player, you enjoy playing footy so much, so when you’re not playing, it’s the hardest thing because you just want to be out there so much.”