WHEN Jace Bode watched his close mate Clint Bartram hurt his knee early in 2007, he didn't realise the incident would eventually boost his own chances of promotion to the senior list.

Bartram went down with the initial injury in the opening weeks of the season, and did not recover as expected. Consequently, he was ruled out for the rest of the year ahead of round 14 and then moved to the long-term injury list four weeks later.

Having arrived at the club around the same time, Bode and Bartram had developed a firm friendship as two of the Demons' "new guys". As their mateship grew, they had no idea Bode would one day be saved from his rookie status at the expense of Bartram's 2007 season.

"Barty has had such bad luck with injuries and he's sort of my best mate, so it was a bit funny," Bode said, of how he was initially elevated to the senior list in place of Bartram.

"But, he's back around the track now, so that's good. Hopefully, next year in round one, we can be playing together."

Bode's brief fling with senior status in 2007 had the 20-year-old run out for four games at the end of the year. Such was his form, he was then elevated off the rookie list permanently after the season ended.

"It's very exciting," he said, of his new status as a senior player.

"I came from a long way behind, and at times I doubted whether or not I was going to make it.

"I had some pretty bad injuries and setbacks, but I managed to overcome them and start playing some good football at the right time of the year."

With a bulging back disc and a knee injury behind him, Bode has finally earned a spot on the club's main list – and just in the nick of time too, with his eligibility as a rookie about to expire.

It wasn't easy for the young South Australian to get there, though. With the injuries hampering his development – as well as robbing him of a chance to shine in the pre-season competition – Bode had to work hard for his chance.

"I missed the most important games for rookies, which is the NAB Cup, so I had to fight my way back through Sandy reserves and then into the Sandy ones," he said.

"I really just wanted to play finals footy for Sandy, and I sort of didn't really expect anything else, so playing AFL and then being elevated was a bonus."

As well as battling through the crippling injuries, Bode had to cope with the dilemmas that face most rookies, particularly ones from interstate, as they try to make ends meet as full-time footballers on a reduced salary.

"It's tough (being a rookie). The thing is, I had just turned 18 when I moved over, and I was literally two days out of school," he said.

"It's a big step. They throw you right in the deep end, really, and there's no fairer system of doing it, but obviously it's fairly tough when you're settled in your home environment and you have to change state, and you're forced to cook and clean and look after yourself.

"It's a pretty big step. It was tough, but a lot of good players have come off the rookie list at Melbourne, Robbo and Brucey and those sorts of boys, so you always look up to them and try and emulate what they did."

Bode was told after the last Sandringham game this year he was in line to be upgraded, but remained unsure of his future as the club was about to go through some radical changes.

"Obviously there was always a new coach coming in, and list management has to go on, so there was nothing set in concrete until probably a month ago," he said.

"But once I started playing games and I felt a little bit more comfortable, I thought I might be a fair chance to be retained and elevated."

Bode is on his way back from the shoulder cleanout he had at the end of the season, and should be back into full training in December.

When he does get permission to shelve running and bike sessions in favour of full drills, he is intent on repaying the club for its decision to reward his two rookie seasons with senior listing.

"You sort of feel satisfied being elevated, but I don't want to be satisfied with just getting that," he said.

"There's a long, long way to go, and I have to have a big pre-season and then hopefully, I can play some regular footy for the Melbourne footy club.

"I feel like I owe them a lot. They persisted with me for two years, so I think I'm in their debt. I feel obliged to pay them back, and put in some good performances and help rebuild the club."