One week is a long time in football.
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Twelve months is an eternity, especially if you’re sitting on the sidelines.
It is an all too familiar feeling for Echuca’s Brodie Kemp who continues to work his way back from a serious knee injury suffered last year while playing for Geelong Grammar.
But Monday was a special day, according to Kemp, as it marked 12 months since he went down with the injury.
Others may say it is a sad reminder, but the teenager is continuing to stay positive as he has done throughout the whole process.
He is still living out his dream of being an AFL footballer with Carlton and Kemp described the injury as just a small bump in the road.
“It was a special day because it’s really exciting to see how far I have come,” Kemp said.
“I’ve had to show a lot of patience through the whole process and the club’s medical staff deserve a lot of credit for helping me reach this point.
“We’re not trying to rush the process because I know I’ve got plenty of time on my side.
“The injury has actually helped me to become a different athlete to where I was last year.
“I know I’m now a better athlete.”
While Kemp is being forced to watch the Blues excite even neutral fans across the competition, the news isn’t all bad.
Despite his injury, he has travelled to the Queensland hub due to coronavirus restrictions in Victoria with Kemp and his teammates finishing their mandatory two-week quarantine period earlier this week.
“The change of weather hasn’t been too bad,” he said.
“Something about the sun makes you a lot happier. I actually went and brought a new surfboard the other day to celebrate the 12-month mark of the injury.
“We all know how tough everything is for Victoria at the moment and we’re fully behind everyone back home.”
Kemp is also hoping to use his stay in the Sunshine State to get to know his teammates a lot better on a personal level.
“During the shutdown I actually came back to Echuca for a couple of months,” he said.
“I was starting to build some great relationships with the boys before the virus hit, so it’s been nice to bond as a team for an extended period.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with Charlie Curnow and Nic Newman (who Kemp was living with in Melbourne) because we’re the only guys in the rehab group now.
“Then there are a few other younger guys including Matt Kennedy, Paddy Dow, Will Setterfield and Zac Fisher who I’ve got really close with.
“I felt like I settled into the club really well for the first few months and this whole situation has only made me feel a lot more comfortable.”
In recent weeks, Kemp has ramped up to his training to include minimal contact, but he admits it remains unlikely he will play a competitive game this year.
“I really appreciate just how much the club wants to take care of me,” he said.
“Those contact training sessions have been under what we call grade one contact, so there isn’t too much. But it’s just amazing how much you miss hitting bodies, whether it’s a teammate or opponent.”
Although the entire club is away from home, Kemp said a typical day in the hub was similar to those back at Ikon Park.
Except everyone is altogether every step of the way.
“We do have a fair bit of down time and that’s when we do things like go for a surf,” Kemp said.
“One of the benefits of the good weather is you can go outside and sit by the pool. At this time of year (in Victoria), you might go into your room and play PlayStation. It has been a nice change.
“In the morning we will usually have a team breakfast then jump on the bus for training. Then we head out to one of the universities where we do our weights training.
“My program is a little different to the other boys because of where I’m at in my rehab. One of the big goals is to focus on my body and lean up.
“During the week I’ll review some tape with some of the more experienced guys including Lachie Plowman and Sam Docherty.
“Learning from those guys has been a great experience.”