A rebuilt Tom Scully is looking confidently to the future, desperate to be a part of future success with Hawthorn

Even Tom Scully had few expectations for his first year as a Hawk. After playing 21 games and recovering from a potentially career-threatening injury, the midfielder is daring to dream big about success with Hawthorn.

Tom Scully made a successful return to football in 2019. Picture: Mark Stewart

Tom Scully has revealed he will need to manage his ankle issues for the rest of his career, but is confident he can be part of Hawthorn’s future success.

Scully, 28, silenced the doubters this year when he overcame a potentially career-threatening injury, but won’t rest on his laurels after 21 consecutive games in his first season with the Hawks.

He has three years left on his contract and is desperate to play for as long as his mind and body will allow in the quest for team success.

“There were no expectations on me this year in terms of the number of games I was planning to play,” Scully told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“It was all about listening to my body. No one at Hawthorn ever pushed me, there was no pressure on me to play until I was ready, and it turned out to be a real positive.

Stream over 50 sports Live & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS on your TV, computer, mobile or tablet. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly >

Tom Scully was putting in work at Hawthorn’s pre-season camp.

“But I certainly won’t be getting ahead of myself. I don’t think I am out of the woods yet.

“It (the ankle) is going to be one of those things where I will have to manage it for the remainder of my career … for as long as I am going to play.

“It’s just something I have to continue to be smart about and certainly the medical staff and the fitness guys have always got that in mind.”

It’s been a massive 12 months for the quietly spoken but fiercely determined Scully, but he has relished the challenges.

There was the move back to Melbourne with his wife Zoe (who he met in Sydney); the switch to Hawthorn — his third AFL club, after two seasons at Melbourne and seven at Greater Western Sydney — and the battle with his body that had people questioning his future.

The fractured fibula and syndesmosis injury he suffered when playing with the Giants against Collingwood in Round 2, 2018, stopped him quite literally in his tracks.

Cartilage damage complicated matters. Some doubted he would make it back, but Scully never did.

“I probably never allowed myself to think like that,” he said. “I wasn’t sure when I would come back or how I would come back, but I was always confident I could find a way.

“It has been a really collaborative approach from myself and the (Hawthorn) medical and fitness guys.

“There is no special formula or magic potion or anything like that. It has just been about good management and trust … it’s been a two-way street.

Tom Scully suffered a horror ankle injury against Collingwood. Picture: Getty Images

“You want to be able to do as much (training) as you can, but at the same time, you need to step back and think about the big picture, and what is going to allow you to play footy for as long as you can at a really high level.”

Patiently, Scully worked on his rehab, and his move to Hawthorn at the end of that season — for a future fourth-round pick — could yet prove to be a bargain trade, given the elite runner was a nominee for the All-Australian squads in 2016 and 2017.

Scully arrived back on Saturday from Hawthorn’s training camp at Mooloolaba, having completed every session and buoyed by the progress he and his teammates made.

Exactly 12 months earlier, at the same location, he was restricted to light duties as he got to know his new teammates, though he did manage his first serious running session, which gave him renewed hope he could return to the level again.

“It was vastly different for me, in terms of what I was able to do,” Scully said of his two Mooloolaba camps.

“This time last year I was still in a heavy rehab phase.

“I had one of my first running sessions last year at Mooloolaba, which was a good milestone.

“Fast forward 12 months, and I have been able to complete all the sessions pretty much and still train at a high level, which for me is fantastic.

“It gives me another good block of pre-season training and gives me more of an opportunity to integrate with my teammates, the game plan and all those sorts of things.”

If 2019 was all about defying expectations for the industrious midfielder, he envisions 2020 as one of consolidation and, hopefully, a year of growth for his football team.

“I am really confident I can play footy for a few more years, I love the game as much as I ever have,” he said.

Tom Scully made a successful return to football this year. Picture: Michael Klein

He remains desperate for team success, having played in five finals for the Giants (for two preliminary-final losses).

He watched his old teammates sweep through to this year’s Grand Final, ultimately copping a beating from Richmond.

“Some of my best mates are still there (the Giants) and I played a lot of footy with those guys,” he said.

“They played so well in the finals, with those wins over Brisbane and Collingwood.

“They probably looked like they spent a lot of energy getting to the Grand Final.

“But they are a resilient group. They will be thereabouts next year, I don’t think they are going anywhere.”

MORE AFL

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten says impact of recruits will be two-fold as he sets sights on 2020

Tom Scully has forecast Jon Patton can return to his best form as part of Hawks’ new-look attack

Mitch Wallis reveals why he wanted to help injured rival Tom Mitchell

As far as the Hawks are concerned, Scully is confident the club would challenge again in the coming seasons, and he wants to be a part of it.

“That’s one of the reasons I am as motivated as ever, to push through to a Grand Final and to hopefully one day win a premiership,” he said.

“That’s what everyone plays for, but as you get older, it becomes even more relevant.

“It’s something I have been chasing and will keep chasing for as long as I possibly can.”

Originally published as A rebuilt Tom Scully is looking confidently to the future, desperate to be a part of future success with Hawthorn