Collingwood star Taylor Adams has revealed the frustration of his latest adductor setback, which has delayed his return until round 14 or 15.
The tough midfielder damaged his left adductor in the round seven win over Port Adelaide and missed two games before appearing set to make a speedy return to face Sydney at the SCG on round 10.
On the Monday before the Friday clash, Adams completed an intense running session that made him "99.9 per cent" certain that he would be fit to take on the Swans.
But in the latter part of the Pies' main training session on the Wednesday his excitement turned to despair when he was tackled while in a crouched position and suffered a tear in the scar tissue that connected the tendon to the muscle.
"It felt not as bad as when I (first) did it but pretty similar. Scar tissue's got a lot of nerve endings in it. It was like I was ripping a piece of paper," Adams told RSN radio on Wednesday morning.
"I walked straight to 'Bucks' (coach Nathan Buckley) and said, 'I'm no good'. He was like, 'It's obviously better (to do it) now than Friday'.
"I was a little bit shocked that it didn't hold up, as were the medicos. Obviously I was really shattered about the outcome (and) frustrated.
"Because we pushed so hard for two-and-a-half weeks prior to re-injuring it, I put a lot of energy into it and a lot of emotional energy into it, and for it to come unstuck hurt me a bit. It took me four or five days to get over that."
Two weeks on, Adams enthuses that he's "moving pretty well" after adopting a more cautious approach to his recovery.
He expects to return "a week or two" after the Pies' round 13 bye.
"It's not as bad as when I first ruptured the tendon, so that's obviously a positive. I'm still getting a little bit of pain at the moment, so we're just taking our time," he said.
It continues a challenging season for the 25-year-old, who missed the opening two rounds with a finger tendon injury.
"I'm a shocking rehabber. I just get frustrated and feel like I'm missing out on a lot. I love training. It is tough. My season's been really interrupted. My pre-season I barely missed a session. Sometimes you just get unlucky," he said.
