North Adelaide’s Alex Spina has recovered from an injury which cost him a premiership

North Adelaide vice-captain Alex Spina, forced to deal with the anguish of missing last year’s grand final triumph, has almost returned to full training as he puts the pain of injuries — and the Roosters’ darkest days — behind him.

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North Adelaide vice-captain Alex Spina received an unexpected, albeit much-needed text message on the eve of last year’s grand final.

Former Roosters captain Greg Gallman advised Spina to hang with his teammates as much as possible and soak up the grand final experience.

These were testing times for Spina, forced to confront the anguish of being ruled out of the premiership decider against Norwood after breaking his collarbone in the extraordinary preliminary final triumph over Woodville-West Torrens.

North Adelaide vice-captain Alex Spina missed the grand final after breaking his collar bone in the preliminary final. He is almost back to full training. Pictured at Prospect Oval, Prospect. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

It was a distress endured by Gallman in 2013 when sidelined for the grand final battle against the Redlegs due to an elbow injury.

“The text message was a bit out of the blue,” Spina said. “I got messages from different people, but Greg’s message was really good.

“He messaged me after the game as well.

“During the week of the grand final it was not too bad, mainly because I had surgery and that distracted me for a few days. But once the grand final parade day came it started to sink in that I would not be playing.

“That was tough. Then waking up on the morning of the game was tough.

“The reserves were also in the grand final so I was able to watch them and forget about it a bit. But when it got close to the start of the league game it was tough again.”

Spina stayed true to Gallman’s words as best he could and celebrated with the triumphant team as if he had played in the highly entertaining 19-point win in front of more than 40,000 fans Adelaide Oval.

But as the party subsided, that feeling of missing out sunk in again.

The Roosters produced an inspiring brand of football to snap a 27-year premiership drought. Spina had been at the forefront of the club’s charge through the finals with his heavy influence, until his season ended abruptly in the third quarter of the season’s penultimate game following a bump from Eagles’ Matt Goldsworthy.

There were those dark times before the flag glory, however, with the Roosters rising from the foot of the ladder in 2017. And that is what hurt Spina most.

“We had been through a tough couple of years leading up to that grand final win and I’d been through all that,” Spina lamented.

“One contest and it gets taken away. But the fact we won is more important than me not playing. Hopefully we will get another opportunity to get back there.”

Spina is almost fully recovered from the damage to his shoulder. He has been involved in all the non-contact activities of pre-season and is closing in on contact work.

He hopes to be available for the trials and then named in the line-up to face the Eagles in the much-anticipated opening-round clash at Woodville Oval on March 31.

Alex Spina fires off a handball under pressure from Adelaide’s Lachlan Murphy. Picture CALUM ROBERTSON

He admits in the back of his mind there are still lingering bitter thoughts of missing a premiership medallion. The focus though has been on his rehab and getting approval from the surgeon to step up training.

“We were poor for a few years and lost some respect,” Spina said. “We played well last year and won the premiership, but we want to maintain that.

“Starting a couple of games behind as well is a good kick up the backside we need to focus again.”

The Roosters were docked four premiership points for this season by the SANFL tribunal after having 19 players on the field for the opening four minutes of the final quarter of the preliminary final.

“Since training started again there has been that feeling the grand final win was last year and we are now looking forward,” he said. “There are good signs, we have a young group and it has responded really well.

“There is the hunger and because the squad is training well, I’m confident the boys can back up.”