The Bulldog star was at his side’s training on Tuesday night on crutches, still contributing despite an expected three-month absence from the Dogs’ senior side.
‘‘I’m not working at the moment, so I’m just sitting at home really not doing too much. I just thought I’d come down and get around the boys and it makes me feel involved a little bit,’’ Elliott said.
‘‘I’ve fractured my tibia at the top in the knee and just got some severe bone bruising in my knee from when I’ve hyper-extended it.
‘‘I’m heading down to Melbourne next week to catch up with a physio and get a bit of an idea on how long I’m out. I’ve just got a ballpark figure at the moment and I’m just after a bit more information.’’
While a three-month wait would have him miss until at least round 14, Elliott hoped a quicker recovery could potentially be on the cards.
‘‘Just with the bone bruising because they said it’s pretty bad it can take a long time to heal, so it’s sort of looking at the three-month mark, but I’m just waiting to see how quick it heals and I’ll see if I can’t get back before then,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s a pretty long pre-season to get injured in round one. But it could be worse, you could not play at all, I’m just looking forward to getting back out there eventually.’’
But once he is back, the 94-game Bulldog is hoping the side’s build is nearing completion, with the talented list ready to challenge and push deep into finals.
‘‘I’m pretty confident with the list we’ve got at the moment. We’ve been building over the last couple of years and we’ve got the right people involved,’’ he said.
‘‘There’s a good feel around the group and a good core group that’s been here for a few years, we’re pretty confident we can give it a real push.
‘‘I’ve grown up here and been around the place since I was a little fella.
‘‘I used to come here when I was about 12 years old and watch Linc Wellington play, now I get to play with him each week.’’
