So often when star players get injured, coaches trot out the old line, "Well, it provides an opportunity for someone else."
Gold Coast midfielder Aaron Hall is proof this adage is more than just a throwaway line, reviving his career with a spectacular finish to 2015.
On the back of long-term knee injuries to Jaeger O'Meara, David Swallow, Dion Prestia and finally captain Gary Ablett, Hall was given a chance in the middle of the ground.
He flourished and hasn't looked back.
Despite the dramatic turnaround, which earned him a new three-year deal as a result, Hall is far from satisfied as he prepares for 2016.
"I don't want to rest on my laurels," Hall told AFL.com.au.
"I want to be an elite midfielder in the AFL, be damaging and be a real cog in our team, and that's what I'm striving for at the moment.
"I want to learn as much as I can. I don't reflect so much … 10 games isn't enough to be a good midfielder."
Hall averaged 27 disposals (10 contested) and four tackles over the final seven rounds last season.
His leg speed from stoppages is something the SUNS are light on for, particularly with no return date locked in for either Swallow or O'Meara.
Hall said when coach Rodney Eade moved him from half-forward into the midfield, his instructions were simple – play on instinct.
Throw in some tutelage from Ablett, his best mate at the club, and Michael Rischitelli, and the SUNS have unearthed a quality midfielder.
Despite not playing alongside any of the injured quartet yet, Hall said he was itching to run out with them this year.
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"And I'm really looking forward to the other guys coming back through the midfield and playing with them and feeding off them," he said.
"Getting those boys back is going to make everyone around them better as well." Including Hall, who in his four previous years at the club has never completed more than a quarter of a pre-season. This time he has completed 95 per cent.
"I feel really great out on the field," he said.
"My fitness has never been something I've had a lot of confidence in – normally this time of the year, I'm struggling to get up for round one.
"I've got a lot of confidence in my body at the moment and am really looking forward to round one."
