Freedom has always been a big part of Adelaide defender Wayne Milera’s game. 

Whether he is stepping past an oncoming defender, or using his skills to pick off a tight target, the 27-year-old is at his best when playing “free.”

And, as he prepares to return to full training this summer following a ruptured patella tendon in the early stages of the 2024 season, all he wants to do is showcase that freedom, and attack the sessions with no fear.

Speaking to AFC Media, Milera said he felt physically and mentally refreshed being back on the track, doing what he loved.

“As a professional athlete you always want to be out there training, so when that is taken away from you for a period of time, it makes you appreciate being out on the track even more,” Milera told AFC Media.

“Physically I am in a really good space out there, I’m going into contests not feeling or thinking about the knee which is great, there’s no second guessing at all out there and I’m really confident in the work I’ve done to get to this point.

“As a result, I’ve been able to train with a lot of freedom, just taking each drill as it comes and running around with a lot of confidence.

“It’s been incredibly refreshing from a mental standpoint as well, being out there getting after it with the boys and just playing footy, it’s what I love to do.”

Milera is in the final stages of his recovery process, building with every session as the Crows’ slate of practice matches edge closer.

The 27-year-old said he was hopeful of lining up in the trial games but would also not rush a return.

“Everything is tracking very positively at the moment, thankfully,” Milera said. 

“The process (of my recovery) has been a lot smoother this time around, the knee has felt really good throughout, and I’ve been able to tick off my goals in good time. 

“At this stage I am pretty much into full training, I’ve had a little bit of contact progression which is the last thing I need to tick off, and I’m in the midst of doing that now. 

“From here I’m just keen to keep getting training sessions under my belt, and I should be all good to go by the time the first trial matches roll around.” 

While he is thankful to have reached this stage of the process, the mental battles he had to overcome during the past four months are certainly not lost on him.

He explained how his time in rehabilitation had helped him grow as both a footballer and person ahead of 2025. 

“It (the recovery process) has been a bit of a grind, especially those early stages when you are getting your head around missing games and you aren’t able to do too much,” Milera said. 

“But once you get through those first two-to-three months, you start ticking off those milestones and are able to get a bit of a sweat up, the mindset definitely changes and it starts going a lot faster. 

“Once the season finished for the boys I didn’t stop, I started running at that point and that gave me motivation to just keep on going, and I think the work I put in over that off-season break has really put me in a good space moving into the new year.

“So that’s been my past nine months in a nutshell, it’s certainly been challenging, but at the same time I’ve grown a lot both physically and mentally which I think will really help me.” 

As the 2025 season approaches, Milera is working on narrowing his focus, looking no further ahead than the next training session, as he continues to work towards the goal of getting better each and every day.

“My main priorities at the moment is continuing to get that fitness base back and training at a high-standard to put my best case forward ahead of the upcoming block of trial matches,” Milera said.

“I’m not looking too far ahead (in terms of goals for the season), and this time of year it is all about taking each training session as it comes and getting better each day.

“I’m all about ticking off those short term goals, as if you look too far ahead sometimes you can lose track of what you are trying to achieve on a daily basis.”