Injury-cursed Sydney defender Alex Johnson will make his long-awaited AFL return, almost six years since his last senior game.
The Swans have confirmed Johnson will face Collingwood at the SCG on Saturday night.
The 26-year-old has endured five knee reconstructions and a total of 12 knee operations since the 2012 grand final, his most recent AFL game.
“I’m really excited, just a whole bunch of emotions,” Johnson told reporters.
“I’ve been through a lot over the journey but I always had my sights on getting back to the AFL.
“That’s why I’ve stuck at it.”
Sydney coach John Longmire termed Johnson’s comeback “one of the more remarkable stories I’ve ever seen in professional sport”.
“”He’s had great belief in himself,” Longmire said, sitting alongside the defender.
“You can’t deny that there’s been plenty of down times … it’s an incredible story of resilience.
“He absolutely deserves a game. It’s not a shock or a surprise, he’s been playing really well in our reserves for quite a while now.”
Longmire intended to break the news to players at a meeting on Thursday, but word quickly spread around the SCG on Wednesday morning.
Teammates have followed the much-loved clubman’s rehabilitation, which has included a serious knee infection, closely in recent years and celebrated every step.
Many of the Swans’ stars, including Lance Franklin, rushed from Melbourne to Canberra for his NEAFL comeback in 2017.
A lot has changed since Johnson’s previous AFL game, with Longmire noting some of his current teammates were in primary school during the 2012 grand final.
“It gives you an insight into the resilience of Alex,” Longmire said.
Johnson, who became a regular member of Sydney’s back six during their march to the 2012 premiership, is the embodiment of persistence.
The youngster’s unlucky run started when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a pre-season clash in 2013.
Further setbacks hampered Johnson’s recovery and would have prompted many players to retire.
Johnson instead kept his head down and returned last year, representing Sydney’s reserves while playing his first match in 1736 days.
He was delisted in 2017, but the Swans used their final selection in the rookie draft to keep the luckless backman on their books.
“People probably forget how good a player he was when he first started as a young bloke,” Longmire said.
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