New Hawthorn recruit Tom Scully has spoken about his long recovery from an ankle injury, and believes he's "heading in the right direction."
Scully spoke to the media on Wednesday about his rehab, and is pleased with the fact he's already begun running.
“I’ve obviously been getting stuck into my rehab, which is a long process, but I’ve been taking some steps forward,” Scully told reporters.
“I’ve started a bit of running, which has been nice - it’s heading in the right direction.”
Scully hasn't played since Round 2 of last season, which was his only game of the year for the Giants after he suffered a serious ankle injury against Collingwood.
Injuries generally haven't been a problem for Scully (he only missed one game over the 2016-17 seasons), but following this setback, he learned to take advice from his body about recovery.
“It’s something that you take for granted when you are up and running and training well, it’s something that comes pretty naturally," Scully said.
“But I guess when you haven’t done it for a while and you’re coming back from an injury, you almost have to teach yourself to run again and get the rhythm back.
“But, as I said, it’s really good to just be back out on the track and getting closer to a return to the field.”
Scully has labelled his time at Hawthorn as "fantastic" so far, and has said the club culture has been a big stand out.
“It’s been fantastic, I’ve really enjoyed my time so far," he added.
“Certainly, Hawthorn’s culture is something that has stood out for me.
“The players embrace the staff and it is a fantastic environment to come to work at every day.”