WHEN you're not quite sure what's going to happen with someone, it can be a bit uncomfortable for everybody around them.
That's what we're facing with Jesse Smith, a player whose talent remains largely untouched.
I know it's been said plenty of times before but a lot of us think back to the semi-final against Hawthorn in 2007. He was the best player on the ground by so much it wasn't funny.
To play a game like that at such a high standard, in front of 70,000 people and a couple of weeks before a grand final, showed what he had to offer.
How it's panned out for him since has been hard to watch.
It was heartbreaking to hear Jesse had injured his hammy again on Sunday. He has had such an unlucky run and has worked so hard to get back time and time again.
This last time he left nothing unturned and went beyond the call to get his body right.
I'm sure his family is just as shattered as he is and, as is the case for any player who has injury after injury, there are doubts over what the future holds.
What else can we do to get him right? You hear stories of guys from other clubs, like Geelong's Max Rooke and Sydney's Nick Malceski, being sent overseas for treatment.
I raised it with Paul Turk, our strength and conditioning coach, but I know the club would be all over it like a rash anyway.
Jesse, his family, the club and the medical staff just have to sit down and have a really good chat about a solution.
It makes it hard for us as teammates because all we can really do is support him by letting our opinions be heard.
We rate Jesse so highly as a player and a person and would love for him to stay at North.
As part of our leadership structure, I'm Jesse's PUL (performance unit leader) which means that if he has a problem or wants someone to talk to he can come to me.
My job is to make sure each of the guys in my group are on the right track when improving their performances and making the right decisions. Those decisions can include life outside of footy.
It's a 'big brother' kind of role and while some of the other leaders might choose to get all their guys together for regular lunches, I prefer to go around one-on-one and have a little chat with mine.
Unfortunately, I've spent a lot of this year in rehab too so Jesse has been the one guiding me a bit.
No one wants to be the man who knows the most about dealing with injuries. What's frustrating for Jesse is that he has been that for a fair while now.
So often he's been stuck on the bike or boxing. Then when he goes for a run he has to make sure he doesn't do too much. It's like a wild horse wanting to be released.
I must admit it can be easy to forget about the guys in rehab when you're playing in the seniors every week. The reason we're all here is to be in the main group.
But because you're so focused on getting yourself right, it's not a huge issue to be on the other end of it. It's just that when you're not used to it, it can be a bit of a shock.
Thankfully, things have turned the corner for me again. I ran on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday and though I felt a bit fatigued after the third one, I always knew that would happen.
When you're around the boys it can be hard to control the way you want to run because you get a bit excited about being out there. Mentally, it's good to get among them and enjoy yourself.
I can't yet name a round that I'll be ready to go by but I'm doing everything to get back as early as I can and play before the year's finished.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
