Player Column – Adam McIntosh Round 2

IT was an awesome feeling to get back out there again on Saturday. Watching on for six months after I broke my leg and then when the team is playing so well you just want to be part of it and it's pretty tough sitting there watching. It was definitely a tough six months and the rehab is the hardest thing I've had to go through.

I did my knee back in 2011 and this was a lot tougher for a number of reasons with the rehab. I'm a bit older now so don’t bounce back as quickly and I also I knew the boys were preparing to play finals and I just wanted to be out there, but knew I couldn’t be.

To be honest I think our last pre-season game was when I got a bit more emotional to be back out there, so I was just relieved to be out there last Saturday in Round 1. I was a bit anxious to see how I would go again but it was handy in that pre-season game against Claremont that the ball seemed to keep coming to me so that helped with my confidence.

I have to admit in the time I was out I did start to have a bit of doubt about if I could play at this level still, so it was nice to get that confidence out of that game and then to be picked for Round 1. It was a massive boost that the coaches picked me. I wasn’t meant to play the practice game against Claremont either, but Todd just told me that I might as well play in the seniors to put my hand up. Luckily I played pretty well and the faith they showed to play me in Round 1 when I hadn’t played a full game yet was pretty special.

Over the pre-season when I was just off running to the side and not able to join in full training, and you see the boys doing all these sideways movements and everything. I actually mentioned to Jarrod Parry that I didn’t know how we could catch up when we're still just running straight lines, but then when you do finally come good and can train fully it's a great feeling.

Looking back to when I suffered the injury down at Peel last year, I remember looking down and saw my ankle facing the wrong way so I was in a bit of shock after that. I actually thought I had done something a lot worse and broke both bones in my leg, but once I got in the changeroom the doctor realised it was just on the one side. It definitely gave me a bit of a shock and I was pretty emotional just because I knew the boys were on track to play finals and I didn’t want to miss that. Then when I thought it was a double break, I know that has pretty much been career over for some blokes. So I was pretty worried at first but once I realised it was just the one bone I was a bit more optimistic about coming back.

I desperately wanted to make it back and I was pushing it pretty hard come finals time. The ressies lost their first final and I was pushing hard to try to get back for that game, but it pulled up pretty sore and it just wasn’t worth risking it. Then it never got better over the off-season and that's why I had to get another surgery to have the plate taken out. After that it was pretty sore for a while and there were some hard times there for a while following the third surgery, but then it came good late in January and early February, and here I am. I owe a lot to Michael Swan for getting me back. Swanny has had to put up with me not being very patient so I owe a lot to him along with Ryan our strength and conditioning coach.

I can't say I'm totally pain-free yet. Saturday was my first full game I've played and it still does get sore especially after half-time after it cools down and then I go back out. I'm not too sure how long until it takes for that to go away, but I'm hoping by halfway through the year it will come good. It is getting better each week so hopefully sooner rather than later I can say I'm pain free.

I went through my whole rehab alongside Jarrod Parry as well. We were already pretty close because back in 2011 we were both doing our rehab from knee injuries too and we're pretty good mates. To see him able to make it back out there for a league game would be pretty special now too for him and the whole footy club. When I was in the gym and was getting down, you only have to look over at him for inspiration because this is the third recon he is coming back from. I hope we get to see him back out there in the league team soon.

Overall it's just a great feeling at the club at the moment. The feeling was good last year and we've built on that even though we aren’t getting too far ahead of ourselves because we know it's only Round 1. We just have to keep getting better every week but there is an exciting feeling at the club. I've never played in a final even though I started in 2009 so hopefully there are some exciting times ahead.