Having overcome a stress reaction in his foot, Ben Cunnington feels his fitness is getting closer to where it needs to be. He had 25 possessions for North Ballarat last Saturday after collecting 24 the weekend before. "Since my first game back it's improved out of sight. I feel I'm gaining more ground and getting to more stoppages each time. I'm feeling pretty good and playing as much as I can now."

Even though they've been practice matches, Cunnington has found the transition to VFL to be a clear step up from TAC Cup level. "The first game was definitely a bit stronger and a bit quicker than the [Geelong] Falcons. The second game I played I was starting to get used to the bigger bodies. I got a bit stronger as well and started to find my feet."

Time on the sidelines recovering from his injury, diagnosed in early January, felt like forever. "I think it ended up being nine weeks in rehab. It was pretty hard, being in your first year when you just want to get out there and gain respect and try to get some games early. I suppose that's just part of footy. You expect to come in and have a full pre-season under your belt, but it's not that easy. As I learned the hard way, everyone gets injured and you've just got to deal with it the best way you can."

In returning to a full training program, the 18-year-old sought extra work to help make ground on his teammates. "I had a meeting with PT (strength and conditioning coach Paul Turk) a while ago, just to do some extra stuff during the week. At the minute, I'm doing two extra half-hour bike sessions a week and a one-kilometre swim, just to keep on top of my fitness and try to catch back up to the other guys. They don't want me to do too much on my legs, because you obviously get heavy."

Coach Brad Scott hasn't indicated when Cunnington could make his debut, but the midfielder is buoyed by the obvious opportunities for younger players in the senior side. "I've spoken to Scotty a couple of times. He just said the main thing is to be patient, don't get ahead of myself and expect anything too soon. It's a long year and I've just got to get my fitness up and do all those things. Then the opportunity will hopefully come."

He has a great relationship with his fellow draftees, and admits to some healthy competition with Ryan Bastinac, who made his debut in round one. "Basti's definitely made a good statement early. He's been in the team two weeks now. I'm happy for him. He's going really well, and all the other blokes have been playing some good footy at VFL level."

Jovial off the field, Cunnington considers his natural aggression to be a valuable trait when training and playing. "I'm not the quickest bloke or most skilful. I've just got to throw my body around and try to get that hard ball."

Cunnington left the family's dairy farm in Princetown, around 220km from Melbourne, when he was drafted in November. A Japanese tattoo on his inner bicep bears his parents' names. "It's a week old. It's my mum and dad, Alan and Cheryl. I've always wanted a tattoo - I just didn't know what to get. I respect my parents a fair bit so you can't go wrong there. They still come to all my games so I catch up with them then. My host family is great. They look after me and feed me well so it's all going pretty good."

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.