It’s been a frustrating year for Kade Kolodjashnij, who has been sidelined with lingering concussion symptoms since the round 13 game against Carlton.

Having missed the final ten games of the season, the defender is recovering well and is on track to resume training when he returns from the break.

“At the moment I’m feeling really good, but it was a frustrating year for me personally with the concussion side of things going on,” he told SUNS TV.

“I’m just looking to have a good off-season now, get away and refresh, ready to get back into it for day one of pre-season.”

The concussion symptoms weren’t a result of one particular incident, but rather a series of head knocks suffered during both training and games.

It got to the stage where his concentration was lapsing at times and the decision was made by the SUNS’ medical staff to bring his season to an end.

“The more knocks I had, the worse I was pulling up so we had to sit down with the medical department and the high performance team. From there I was ruled out for the rest of the season so it was pretty disappointing,” Kolodjashnij said.

“Early days it was a bit of a struggle with a few of the symptoms I had...so it got to the point where I had to sit down and talk about it.”

With his season ending prematurely, the 22-year-old worked closely with the Player Development department to ensure his time away from footy was used effectively.

“I did a bit of TAFE this year, a Certificate Two in Carpentry, so was able to tick that off,” Kolodjashnij said.

“Now I’m off to Fiji in the off-season…we planned that out while I was away from the game, and I got the opportunity to do that so I’m really looking forward to it.”

His time overseas won’t just be spent relaxing, with the Tasmanian linking up with charity Habitat For Humanity.

Kolodjashnij will work with a group of about ten others, helping to build a home for a family in need.

“It’s a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and go over there to help someone in need and put into perspective how lucky I am to be able to play footy full time.

“Sometimes you can get caught up in that bubble when you’re playing every week and you take it for granted.

“Seeing it from the other side this year, being on the sidelines, I thought it was a good opportunity to go over there and help someone in need and to give back.”

Click here to contribute towards Kolodjashnij’s home building project.