From the opening bounce, Aaron vandenBerg will know it will all have been worth it. Almost two years of heartache, frustration and pain - all worth every second.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
vandenBerg will play his first senior game in 708 days when the Melbourne Demons face the Gold Coast Suns at the MCG on Sunday.
It is a return even his teammates have been itching to see - Demons ruckman Max Gawn was so excited he mistakenly tweeted vandenBerg was due back from an 847-day lay-off.
Gawn's tweet can be overlooked. What can't be is vandenBerg's burning desire that has seen the 26-year-old bust through adversity to make his AFL return.
The former Ainslie Tricolours star earned an opportunity off the rookie list in 2015 but things started to go awry when he began feeling pain in his foot the following year.
He battled on in the hope the injury would clear up - but it wasn't going anywhere. It was only getting worse.
A stress fracture in his heel developed into Haglund's disease and had a severe impact on his Achilles and ankle. What was supposed to be a six-week lay-off turned into 18 months out of the top flight.
The Perth-born product spent the entire 2017 season sidelined after he had heel surgery in June last year. But he stayed involved with the club, assisting new players and working with forwards coach Troy Chaplin.
He spent countless hours alongside teammate and rehabilitation comrade Pat McKenna on four kilometre walks around the Tan near the Yarra River while the rest of the Demons squad trained.
Now as vandenBerg finally prepares to grasp another chance in the top flight, he has already set his sights on replicating the form he showed throughout his first 28 senior games.
A return against the Suns - the club he made his AFL debut against almost three years ago - is a chance to repay the Demons for the faith they showed in him when they re-signed him on a one-year deal for the 2018 season.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin is one of the major reasons vandenBerg opted to stay at the Demons and now the second-year mentor has a chance to see what the Tathra junior can do after he was drafted into the side for the injured Jake Melksham.
"It’s a terrific footy story. It’s nearly two years since he last played for us," Goodwin told melbournefc.com.au.
"He’s gone through a hell of a lot and he’s had three VFL games now and he’s prepared himself incredibly well, so we’re excited about what he can bring our team.
"Unfortunately for Melky, he’s a little bit tight through that hamstring. He had it through the second quarter and continued to play on, but he’s going to take a week to get right and hopefully he’ll be back for the Sydney game the week after."
The sixth-placed Demons are locked in a battle cement a top eight spot and a win over the Suns would go a long way towards booking a ticket to their first finals appearance since 2006.
"We’re really looking forward to the Gold Coast, who played a terrific game two weeks ago against Sydney," Goodwin said.
"They’re a contest, tackle-based team, so we know what we’re up against and we’re looking forward to that challenge and putting on a great show for our fans."
