A DODGY toe and a couple of mean-looking scars are the only lasting reminders Port Adelaide teenager Jackson Trengove has of the injury that threatened to end his AFL career before it even began.

Trengove was being touted as a potential top-10 pick ahead of the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, when he tore his hamstring off the bone while training with Vic Metro in June.

The 197cm utility had surgery to reattach the tendon but was left unable to move his foot, after it was revealed the surgeon had nicked a nerve in his leg.

The severity of the injury deterred clubs from selecting Trengove in the first round of the draft, but the Power were only too happy to pounce on the 19-year-old with their second pick at No.22.

The agile Victorian spent his first six months at Alberton in rehabilitation and made a promising return to the field with SANFL side Port Adelaide in May.

He wore a Power guernsey for the first time in this year's NAB Cup and was rewarded with a round-one debut against North Melbourne.

Trengove said the experience of playing his first AFL game had made the countless hours he spent in rehabilitation all worthwhile.

“At this time last year I was either sitting on the sidelines watching or out running laps. One year on I’ve played two games of AFL footy, so I’m pretty happy. There was a stage there when the doctors said I wouldn’t play footy again, so to be playing now is really exciting,” Trengove said.

“My leg is nearly back to 100 per cent. I can’t move my toe as well as I probably should be able to, but if it stays like that, that’s fine…your toe’s not really that important.”

Trengove held his spot in the side for the club’s round two clash with West Coast.

He thrilled the Port Adelaide coaches with his trademark competitiveness on the big Subiaco ground, but admitted he needed to curb his aggression after giving away a 50m penalty for pushing an opponent's head.

“The umpiring is a little bit different in the AFL (compared to the SANFL)...I did throw a little bit of aggression out,” he said.

“It’s part of the game, but I just have to learn to control it so I don’t give away as many (five) free kicks.”

Internally, Trengove is renowned for not allowing his opponent an easy kick, not even at training.
The athletic defender joked about his niggling of teammates in one-on-one training drills and said it was all just part of his personality.

“I’ve always been a pretty competitive person whether I was playing football, another sport or mucking around with my sister, Amy. It’s an aggressive game and that suits my style of play. I like winning the one-on-ones, that’s perfect for me.”

Trengove is out of contract at the season’s end but is hoping to stay at Alberton beyond 2010 and repay the club for the faith it showed in him on draft day.

“I couldn’t have asked for anymore from this club. The medical staff have been great with me and getting me back out onto the track. Without them I honestly couldn’t see myself where I am today, playing AFL footy,” he said.

“We’ll see what [football manager] Peter Rohde says, but hopefully they’ll want me to stay.”