He’s had his fair share of rotten luck in recent times but promising midfielder Dan Robinson believes fortunes will favour him in season 2018.

Robinson’s medical history is longer than your average 23-year-old footballer’s, having endured prolonged periods on the sidelines with two seperate broken collarbones, a shoulder reconstruction and a broken jaw all in the last three seasons.

It’s not only the severity of the injuries but the timeliness, each one rearing its ugly head just as Robinson had strengthened his foothold within the seniors, ultimately robbing the speedster from adding to his 16-game tally.

There’s no better example than the start of the 2017 regular season when, after a standout pre-season, Robinson injured his shoulder in the opening half of the first-round clash against Port Adelaide — the setback requiring surgery and sidelining him for six weeks.

Two games back, Robinson copped a knock from an opposition player in a NEAFL game and fractured his jaw, which required another four weeks of rehabilitation.

He was able to fight his way back into the senior side towards the back-end of the season but form and continuity were just too difficult recapture, and Robinson played out the rest of the season in the NEAFL.

A strong finish to the season and a disciplined off-season however has seen Robinson return this summer in super shape.

With luck on his side for a change, he believes he is on track for a happier and healthier season of football.

“I’m feeling good, all the shoulder issues are in the past so I’m looking forward to staying healthy this year,” Robinson said on Monday.

“I guess the thing about everything that’s happened to me, it’s been out of my control. It hasn’t had anything to do with preparation or the way I’ve gone about my footy, or (how I’ve) attacked the game, so in that sense it’s been easier to deal with.”

“I couldn’t have done anything differently, a few unlucky circumstances, so when you’re coping with it you just have to get stuck into training and try to get yourself back to where you feel confident enough to compete again.”

The hard-running outside midfielder’s main goal over the pre-season, he says, is to add a level of versatility to his game and become more of a utility.