AFL: Melbourne premiership star Jake Lever says he pushed too hard when fainting at training

Jake Lever fainted on day one of pre-season and the Melbourne premiership defender has revealed exactly what happened.

Jake Lever pushed himself too hard at training. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Jake Lever was more shocked about the personal best times he ran on the two laps at Casey Fields than his fainting episode that sent a slight shock through the Melbourne camp on Monday.

The premiership defender was back at training on Wednesday and confirmed he just went too hard on his first day back, pushing himself in the kind of way that said the Demons aren’t satisfied with one flag.

Lever had to be helped from the ground after a 10-minute assessment from club medical staff when he fainted following an ill-advised attempt to get up after pushing himself through a third lap at Casey Fields.

“The tests are designed to be pretty hard. I ran a PB (personal best) for my first two times and went a little bit hard in the first couple of runs,” Lever said after training on Wednesday morning.

“I am not the first person to faint after giving it their all and I don’t think I’m going to be the last. It was a little bit of bad luck.

“I laid down first after that third effort and when I went to get back up, I don’t think that was a very good idea, so I won’t be doing that again, that’s for sure.

“The first shock came when they read out my time for the first lap that I did. I couldn’t believe I got that fast. After that I went a little bit too hard, and it backfired a little bit.”

Lever pushing himself was indicative of the hunger that remains at the Demons following a drought-breaking premiership win over the Western Bulldogs.

Demons coach Simon Goodwin checks on Jake Lever. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Lever walks off the track after needing medical assistance. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Melbourne, as all premiership winners are, will be the hunted team in 2022 and Lever said the players had to rise to that challenge.

“Last year we were hunting every other team and we understood we didn’t have any right to be where we were. We were just working so hard the results were coming our way,” he said.

“It’s going to be no different next year. Teams are coming back fitter, stronger, they are going to hunt us and we are going to embrace that challenge.”

Lever also said pressure from the players who missed the grand final would ensure Melbourne didn’t get stuck in the past and kept pushing to go back-to-back.

“I know that a lot of the boys are in really good shape, and hearing from them they are in a really good spot, and probably from the guys that didn’t play, there’s a little bit of a point to prove for those guys,” he said.

“You talk about (Adam) Tomlinson, (Joel) Smith, (Jayden) Hunt, these are the guys that are coming back in really good nick and pushing the guys who played in a premiership to new limits and to new heights. It’s going to help.

“It’s great for our culture, for positions on the ground to be pushing really hard against each other. Our session today was another step in the right direction and I’m looking forward to having three weeks break, then coming back for the new year.”