Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney refuses to concede his season is over despite a complex injury cloud still leaving him without a definitive return date.

Viney, 32, has had trouble with his achilles and back this season, preventing him from playing alongside the retooled Demons under new coach Steven King.

Melbourne sits in the logjam chasing Hawthorn in third after defeating the Hawks in Launceston on Saturday afternoon.

A return timeline remains frustratingly out of reach until he starts running, but Viney is confident he can still provide a late-season boost to the Dees’ finals tilt.

“They’re going OK, we’re ticking boxes, trying to keep pushing and play some footy this year, that’s the goal with the team going so well,” Viney said.

“Like I said, it hasn’t been a straightforward injury like I would’ve liked and more complex one we’re trying to find solutions to throughout the whole season.

“I feel like we’ll get there eventually, it’s just kind of hard to put an ETA on.

“Wherever, whenever the footy is, I’m just keen to get out there, play it, whether it’s a minute or 90, just get out there and play footy again.

“There’s no timeline on it. It’s a really hard one to say this is the return date because I am not back running yet.

“There’s obviously a fair bit of strength and conditioning that’s got to go back on once I get back running.”

Viney admits the recovery and ambiguity about his return is a difficult mental hurdle compared with other long-term injuries.

“I am no stranger to injury, but they’ve been more like broken bones or ankle scopes, that kind of stuff, where once you have it done it’s pretty clear and linear,” he said.

“Having the achilles and then having my back in the mix, it just hasn’t been as clear cut and it’s been focusing on the systems and building up my load again.

“It’s definitely tough, not that doing an ACL or rupturing an achilles isn’t a challenging injury, but similar to that you know you’ve got 12 months of rehab.

“My process has been much more, (I) feel like we’re getting back … we thought we’d be back at round 8, but it didn’t seem to be the case.”

Melbourne has an opportunity to keep pace with the pack vying for a second chance when it meets Richmond this Sunday at the MCG.