AFL football isn't a game that you get comfortable with - it continuously challenges you mentally and physically and the pressure to perform is always there. It is more a matter of coping with the game than beating it and it is something you get the impression Essendon youngster Henry Slattery has learned to do.

Slattery's form in recent practice matches has been impressive. He has played deep in defence where he has looked very composed - his self-assured style has belied his youth. It has also belied his work ethic. AFL football didn't - and doesn't - come easily to Slattery and this off-season has been no different. 

Diagnosed with ITB friction syndrome - a problem that causes tightness in the band that runs from the hip to the knee - Slattery’s game was dramatically affected towards the latter stages of the 2005 season.

""It’s generally a running injury and in Henry it is related to his hips,"" Essendon fitness coach John Quinn explained. ""He has basically had it for several years and it’s a bit of a hereditary thing. The way he is skeletally, he is more predisposed to it.""

The club tried passive forms of treatment last year such as massage and stretching, but when it didn’t work, Slattery underwent an ITB release to reduce the pressure.

""I could run, but towards the end of a game it got to a point where it would just go and I couldn’t run any further,"" Slattery explained.

Rehabilitation started with non-weight bearing exercises on the bike and in the pool before working on areas of strength to build up his hip and flexibility through his hamstring and lower back.

""We have treated the symptom and not necessarily the cause so it is something we will have to monitor and we are working on building up his body to reduce the impact of it in the future,"" Quinn said.

But despite the minor hurdle, in his second pre-season at the club, Slattery has learnt to take the process in his stride and he has already reaped the benefits.

""I told myself just to enjoy it more and its amazing what it can do. I think everyone around the club is enjoying it more than last year,"" he explained.

The unassuming 20-year-old just remains focused on getting the most out his game in 2006 and despite some good pre-season form isn’t convinced of being in the Bombers starting 22.

""I am hard on myself so I just want to stay injury free and hope for the best. If I get picked, I get picked – that is up to the coaches.

""I want to be a reliable player, I am competitive and don’t like to be beaten. I am just hopeful to get on the ground.""