NEW DemonAaron vandenBerg says he’s right on top of his rehabilitation from a shoulderproblem and is aiming to play in the NAB Challenge.

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Themature-age rookie, who was born in Western Australia, came from Tathra in NewSouth Wales and was recruited from Ainslie in the Australian Capital Territory,arrived at Melbourne in late November with the injury.

But thesecond player selected in the recent NAB AFL Rookie Draft said he was doing hisutmost to be right for the season.

“Theshoulder is going really well. I’m streaming through the rehab and making sureI do everything right,” he told melbournefc.com.auon day four of Melbourne’s pre-season training camp at Maroochydore.

“I’m makingsure I get myself in the best possible position to put my hand up for selectionpre-season. At this stage, I’m just playing it week by week and getting it thebest that it can possibly be.”

Themidfielder, who claimed 56 disposals in a game for Ainslie in 2014, said thecamp was a great opportunity to keep building relationships with the playersand staff – and work on his rehab.

“Yesterday(Wednesday) was quite an easy session, because we just got off the plane theday before. Today was a bit more of a harder session with fartlek running andbike, so there was a bit of a blow out today,” he said.

Turning 23years old in March, vandenBerg said he had relished every moment at Melbourne,although he hasn’t yet been with the club for two months.

“Funnilyenough, I didn’t get too overwhelmed at the start. I don’t think I am at themoment either. Maybe the fact that I’m a little bit older might’ve helped me inthat sense, but as soon as I got picked up, it was a good couple of days,” hesaid.

“It was alittle bit overwhelming then, but then it was straight back down to business.I’m just making sure I can do everything I could possibly do to make sure I’man AFL footballer by the end of this year as well.

“I’m reallyenjoying it, but I’ve enjoyed playing ever since I was a five-year-old kid. Atthe moment, I’m thoroughly focused on getting my body right. I want to makesure I keep developing.”

vandenBerghad a labral tear in his shoulder, which he played with at Ainslie in 2013-14,but he said it needed attention at the end of last season.

“I had twolabral tears – one at the front and one at the back. I had a frayed biceptendon and about 30 to 40 per cent of the cartilage in the shoulder was gone. Ineeded to get all that done, so that was a bit gruesome,” he said.

“I playedconsistently for two years with it. It was hot and cold to get back, but it waspainful for the first five minutes of each match and then you ran onadrenaline.

“I consulteda surgeon at the end of the season and I couldn’t go on with it.”

A formerapprentice with the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, vandenBerg said hemissed his job, but it didn’t outweigh being on an AFL list.

“Ido miss it and the people around it, but I’d certainly take this opportunityany day,” he said.