LUKE Teal was told about the importance of a fast start in the NAB League this season. 

The premier under-18 competition's opening month sees a full complement of players take the field before school commitments drag them out of games. It is when prospects can make an impression on recruiters and when scouts' views start to take shape. 

Teal had designs on being a part of all of that, but two days before Oakleigh's round one clash with Sandringham, the attacking half-back felt an excruciating pain near his stomach.

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"We were playing on the Sunday, but I got rushed into hospital on the Friday and had to get my appendix out pretty quickly," the draft prospect told AFL.com.au.

"It was a shocking pain and I didn't sleep at all on the night before. I had a million pillows around me and had to sit upright. 

"I thought I was just a bit sick and it would go away as I'd had that pain before and I thought it would subside. But it stayed with me. I went to the doctors, then the hospital and then had surgery so it was a pretty quick 24 hours."

He returned for the final of the four games in that block before playing for Trinity Grammar, having largely missed out on a key part of his season. 

"Those first four games were heavily emphasised in how important they can be in defining your season, so to not play in three of them was pretty tough and something I had to work through mentally," Teal said.

The 189cm defender had entered the season with hopes to show his capacity as a marking option in the backline who can intercept, rebound and run off his opponent to create.

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He played in the NAB AFL Academy's side against Collingwood's VFL team in April, but again timing was not on his side as he suffered a broken collarbone a week before he was set to line up for Vic Metro in the under-18 championships. 

He was crunched in a tackle while playing school football and sat out a couple of months, missing the mid-year carnival.

"I got a free kick after it and I couldn't hold the ball because my arm was cooked," he said.

"At the start I was a bit full of adrenaline but was adamant I didn't break it because I did not want that happening. But when the doctor confirmed it on the sideline it was pretty tough.

"I broke down a little bit because I knew the break I would be having and the timing, similar to the appendix, was pretty bad.

"You start thinking the worst in that moment. I was sitting off to the side, I couldn't even watch the rest of the game to be honest. I was pretty devastated and had Dad next to me with his arm around me helping me out. 

"But knowing I'd miss those crucial Vic Metro games was definitely tough for me. But I worked through it and got back for a couple of games at the end of the year, which was great."

Teal's father had his own injury experiences to draw from. Robert Teal played 18 games for Sydney in 1989-90, having started in Hawthorn's under-19s team, before suffering a back injury that limited his career thereafter. 

He has put that energy into assisting his son's hopes to land on an AFL list at this month's NAB AFL Draft, with Teal in second-round contention. 

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The 18-year-old watches young Hawks backman Will Day as a player to learn from and hopes his run of games late in the season, including Vic Metro's title-winning performance over Vic Country at Marvel Stadium, proved his ability to clubs.

"It's definitely nerve-wracking with the draft so close, but it's more exciting than anything," he said.

"But there is an element of the unknown for me; with the injuries I have had, I probably haven't been able to string together the amount of games I wanted to. I hope the games I did play gives clubs enough confidence that they should pick me."