Richmond defender Dylan Grimes has not let his recent hamstring setback distract him from being fit for the start of the 2013 season.

Grimes is recovering from surgery to repair his hamstring tendon, an injury he sustained during a training session in late November.

The talented 21-year-old has a history of hamstring trouble, but had been training without hindrance, before bad luck struck again.

“It was heart-breaking, to be honest.  As first I thought I had done it again.  It was the first thing that popped into my head,” Grimes told Roar Vision.

“The lowest point was when I got home, before I had talked to the surgeon or had any scans.  I was trying to take my footy socks off, and I sat on the couch and almost started crying because I couldn’t take the footy socks off.

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“The next day I caught up with the surgeon, and had some scans, and he was really positive, right from the start, and confident that the operation he was going to do would have a really successful outcome, and I’d be back playing footy pretty soon.

“He was really happy with the way things went under the knife, and he’s really optimistic about me being able to play Round 1 still.

“I’m just chomping at the bit to get back into my rehab program and join the boys for the pre-season.”

The popular defender has received a flood of positive messages from team-mates, Club staff and Richmond fans.

“I was really taken back by the amount of texts and phone calls I got...it made me really proud to be at a Club like Richmond, where the players and staff show so much care,” Grimes said.

To watch the full interview with Dylan Grimes, click on the video player above.