Gibson, 26, hasn’t missed a beat since returning from hamstring surgery and is delighted to be back doing what he does best at the business end of the season.
“I had to watch for 11 weeks which is super-frustrating and even more so when you’ve changed clubs and you haven’t been able to get out there and play for them,” he says.
“The first six weeks I wasn’t allowed to do much at all. It was all about letting the stitches and everything else heal and then it was on to more weight-bearing stuff and so on.
“It was probably around the 10-week mark where I was running and doing sprint work that I regained complete confidence in it. The build-up had been so gradual with the way the fitness staff set it out, I never felt like I was pushing myself too early.
“I thought I was going to be really nervous coming back, but that gradual build-up allowed me to have some confidence the whole time really. That might sound a bit weird with such a big injury, but the way that they tailored my rehabilitation program, it made it easy for me to run again with confidence.
“By the time I played that first VFL game I knew that I’d done the work.”
Gibson is not the only one who is happy he’s back in the brown and gold. Alastair Clarkson would much rather have his prize recruit on the field than in his coach’s box.
“I sat in the box a couple of times and got told off for being too loud,” Gibson says.
“They were probably glad that they got me out of there because there was a bit too much cheering of blokes on going on.”
Barracking for his new teammates wasn’t the only thing Gibson did during his enforced lay-off. He did a lot of work with defensive teammate Ben Stratton in scouting upcoming opponents and also launched a new business venture.
The budding entrepreneur helped start a fashion company called Rise of Intelligentsia which brings international fashion brands like Cr8tive Recreation to our shores.
“It’s exciting and it was one thing that I was able to do to keep my mind occupied when I was injured,” he says.
“It was much better than sitting on the couch doing nothing.
“We’re bringing in products that we would wear and believe in, which is the inspiration behind setting up the business.”
While he admits it’s nice to have an interest outside of footy, Gibson is intent on making sure his primary business concern - his football - pays big dividends after an early setback.
“Of course I was disappointed to get injured, but I’m loving being at Hawthorn,” he says.
“It’s been fantastic, but now that I’m back playing footy it’s even better. No player likes to watch from the stands, but if I can keep building some form hopefully I can play my part in the next few weeks.
“It’s a tough thing to move clubs, but the guys made the transition for me really easy off the field. I’ve played the eight games now and we’re all still working out how we’re going to play together, but as games go by that will only get better.
“It’s all about the back six being able to play together and work together as a group and that’s something that we’re going to keep developing the more we play together.
“We’re still working out each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which I actually think is pretty exciting.”
