A broken tibia may keep Oscar Junker on the sidelines for three to four months, but the first-year rookie will do everything he can to aid his recovery. 

“(I’ll) try to keep positive, and really focus on game education and things like that,” Junker told NMFC.com.au.

“Making sure my nutrition is right so I can keep as fit and healthy as possible through the rehab phase.

“You’ve just got to do everything you possibly can to get back as fast as possible.”

Junker recalled the incident which led to him being sidelined. 

“When I was kicking the footy in the practice match (against Werribee) a couple of weeks ago, I landed awkwardly, rolled it on the inside and felt a little pop,” he explained. 

“I thought it was just a roll of the ankle, but obviously it wasn’t. I got some scans done and that revealed a fracture.

“I was hoping for the best (with the scans), but preparing for the worst. I felt a crack so I sort of thought that something might have happened, but I didn’t know exactly.”

While it's a cruel blow for Junker, he’s fortunate to have plenty of support around him. 

“It’s always good having people that know what you’re going through, so they’ll really help me and I’ll help them through that whole period," he said. 

At least initially, it will be a patient process for Junker. 

“Around the four week mark we’re able to start some running on the Alter-G at reduced body weight," Senior Performance Consultant Steve Saunders explained. 

“Within that next two months he does a hell of a lot of strength work and mobility work to get the range and the muscle function back.

“At the moment we’re expecting him to be back somewhere between the 12 and 16 week mark.

“The 12 to 16 week mark is a return to play estimate, so he could well be playing in three months.

“Being a young player and the nature of the injury, it may extend out to four months, depending on how he progresses.”