Pies ‘confident’ important forward will return this season

Daniel McStay is making solid progress after he ruptured an ACL in November

As unfortunate Collingwood player Daniel McStay heals from his knee reconstruction, HAPPINESS may finally be smiling on him.

McStay tore his anterior cruciate ligament in November while participating in preseason training, following his absence from the Magpies’ Grand Final victory over Brisbane due to a knee ailment.

It can take a year to recover from a knee reconstruction, but McStay is back on the ground and reports good improvement.

“It’s been a little bit of an up-and-down battle, the last three months,” McStay said.

“We’re not really working towards time frames at the moment. We’re ticking off each part as it comes.

“After talking to the Collingwood staff, they seem pretty optimistic that I will participate in some football this season. It goes without saying that you cannot have any setbacks and that you will require a lot of luck.

“But the way I’ve been tracking and the work I’ve been putting in, it’s given me a fair bit of hope.”

McStay is not struggling to keep focused in light of his recent defeats.

“There’s been a fair bit of motivation the last few months, in terms of a lot of things – obviously missing out on the Grand Final,” he stated.

At St Kilda’s Moorabbin headquarters on Tuesday, McStay gave a speech to

promote the round two match, which is known as the yearly “Spud’s Game” in

memory of the late Saints player Danny Frawley.