CHINESE midfielder Chen Shaoliang won't give up chasing his AFL dream.
A cruelly timed knee injury has only heightened his resolve to one day repay Port Adelaide for its faith and patience.
It's testament to Chen's mental strength that he's back playing with the China Dragons in the AFL International Cup after rupturing the ACL in his right knee in March last year.
Port Adelaide had just started grooming the international signing from China's southern port city of Guangzhou to play with the Magpies in the 2016 SANFL season when he was sidelined in a freakish training mishap.
"Unfortunately I did the ACL in the first week I arrived. I got tackled from behind and I went to the ground and my knee went pop," he said.
"At first I thought it would be OK, but the doctor told me it was an ACL and it takes 12 months recovery. I thought 'Oh, my God'. I was just starting out."
Imagine the young physical education graduate's dilemma? Stuck in an unfamiliar city, still wrestling with the language and facing an uncertain future after major knee surgery in Adelaide.
"That time of rehab was so hard. I didn't have family or friends here and I was injured. It was really hard," he said.
"I felt really sorry with this opportunity I had to come here. But I needed to be really strong because I want to play football."
Chen's AFL journey started nearly five years ago after he was chosen from the Guangzhou Sports University to trial at the NAB AFL Draft Combine at Etihad Stadium in October, 2012.
"I was the only person who came to Australia. Unfortunately, I got a hamstring injury at the time and couldn't do all the testing," he said.
But he impressed in the standing vertical jump and with his general athleticism, which prompted Port Adelaide to keep an eye on his progress.
Chen captained China in the 2014 AFL International Cup and he won best and fairest and leading goalkicker awards for the Guangzhou Scorpions in the South China Australian Football League.
The 24-year-old, who lives with a host family of Port Adelaide supporters, was part of the Power contingent in Shanghai for the historic first AFL game there, against the Gold Coast Suns in May.
He resumed playing four months ago with two games for the local club of the Power's welfare officer and a practice match with China against a boy’s college in Adelaide.
China has beaten Croatia and Sri Lanka and faces Indonesia in Diggers Rest on Saturday.
"I've played a few games and the knee is alright. After the games, I checked with the physios and doctor and they said it was fine. I feel really good," he said.
"Everybody wants to be the best they can be and I want to try to see what level I can reach."
So, what would it mean to one day play AFL for Port Adelaide? "Oh, that would be, how do you say, the big deal for me. That's my goal," he said.
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