Tomi Juric's 2020-21 season with Adelaide United was a reflection of his career to date: goals and injuries.
After returning to the Reds late last year, the Australian striker ended his most recent campaign with nine goals from 18 A-League Men's appearances.
It was a solid return and one restricted by niggling injuries that saw him miss 10 games and struggle to regularly see out a full 90 minutes.
Juric's body has betrayed him a few times over the past five years with his time in Europe with the likes of FC Luzern and CSKA Sofia hamstrung by injuries.
The 30-year-old has joined Macarthur FC over the off-season and is determined to ensure he's fit and firing for the new campaign.
While most players hate long pre-seasons, Juric is relishing this one with the Bulls as he looks to avoid the mistakes of the past.
"It’s been nice because I haven’t actually done a pre-season for a while. Really enjoyable and good to get the work in the legs," Juric told Sporting News.
"It was a difficult one (last season). A lot of stop starts due to injuries. I didn’t get a pre-season under my belt. Went from quarantine into four or five training sessions before I played my first game and that was an 83-minute game against Western United.
"I’ve taken the time off in the off-season to try to prepare myself for the season coming and just avoid some of my troubles from last season.
"I feel like right now I’m not in a bad place. I don’t think I’ll hit the ground running into the season. I feel like I’ll be building, especially the first few games until I get 90 minutes under my belt."
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Juric isn't rushing things with Macarthur and didn't feature in the club's first two pre-season friendlies as he eases his body into what will be a long campaign.
Injuries have meant Juric hasn't played for the Socceroos since 2018 and such set-backs are something he's become a little too accustomed to.
"The story of my life unfortunately. I’ve sort of learned to live with it. It is what it is and those things are, to an extent, out of my control," Juric said.
"I’m not the kind of player who can take things easy. I like to train hard and play hard and I think that costs me sometimes - pushing my body too hard all the time.
"I’m 30 now so I’m learning to deal with it and be smarter and more conservative with my energy and how I do things. Hopefully that will change the circumstances a little bit in my favour."
Unlike every season before it, Juric's main goal for the new campaign won't revolve around the back of the net.
"To play every single game. To make myself available and that’s something I haven’t done in the past," Juric said.
"I feel like I’ve often set my focus on goals, how many I can score, but I feel like now the smartest way to look at it and approach it is to make myself available for every game possible.
"Because if I do that, I’ll give myself the best chance of scoring as many goals as I can.
"If you can’t play, you can’t score so that’s going to be my main focus and knock on wood that all goes to plan."
Considering he averaged a goal every second game last campaign without a pre-season and with injuries, a fit Tom Juric looms as an almighty weapon for Macarthur this season.