If any young player sums up the highs of lows of trying to make your way in the AFL it is promising Richmond defender Andrew Raines.
He might be just 22 and have just 53 games under his belt but the son of Richmond's 1980 premiership winning centreman Geoff has already endured more than his fair share of ups and downs in his short career.
Richmond coach Terry Wallace revealed this week that Raines' season is already over with the club deciding to let its exciting running defender begin his pre-season preparations for next season.
Raines has not been seen at senior level since dislocating his knee in round two but while he was originally expected to miss only a few weeks, it has turned into a season-long injury.
"We have put him away for the year and since he had that dislocation of the knee, it took him a while to get over that," Wallace said of Raines.
"He started to get a few other related injuries on the same leg - to his hamstring and quad - and while he is ready to play now from a fitness point of view, he is de-conditioned because he hasn't been able to get the games into himself."
"So we thought it was in his best interests to start his pre-season early."
Raines' nightmare 2008 season comes just two years after he was being acclaimed as one of the AFL's best young players when in 2006 - his first full season - he not only finished second in the AFL's Rising Star Award but also was runner-up in the Tigers' best and fairest.
But Wallace believes Raines will emerge stronger following the setbacks he has endured this year.
"It's been a horror year for him but a lot of players go through it," he said.
"They just don't get a run at it and one thing turns into another and he has had that type of year."
"It's the nature of the game and sometimes people think players get lost and say 'has this bloke lost form or where is he at' but unless you get continuity in your footy it's such a difficult game to play."
"And he (Raines) hasn't had that since day one this season but he will be a valuable player for us to get back next year."