NORTH Melbourne star Daniel Wells is unsure when he will return to his brilliant best as he safely got through his long-awaited comeback from a foot injury on Sunday.
The 218-gamer played a supporting role in the Kangaroos' 50-point win over the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium in his first AFL game since round five.
With just a half in the VFL under his belt, Wells gathered 18 possessions and took four marks in a solid first hit-out.
"It went pretty well today. It's (his foot) a bit sore now but that's to be expected," Wells said post-match.
"I felt comfortable out there. It's been a long time since I played and I'm just happy to have played some kind of part today."
The classy onballer said he was nervous before the bounce, but avoiding the sub's green vest was a big relief as he started across half-forward.
"That's the role I'll play until I can get a bit of fitness back," he said.
"We don't have many more weeks to go before it gets really busy. I've got to make sure I just look after my legs during the week.
"Today I probably wasn't going to play a full game but 'Zebus' (Jack Ziebell) got subbed off so it probably helped me out a little bit.
"I suppose when you have a bit of a lead too that you're just cruising around a bit, that helped but I didn't think I'd play that long. But I'm glad to get through."
The 29-year-old hopes the next two matches against Adelaide and Melbourne are enough to prime him for finals.
"I hope so. I haven't been in this position before, I've had injuries but they've been season-ending so this is a bit new for me," he said.
"But I think I've done enough work over my career to draw back on."
Wells' hopes of facing the Crows could rest with the Match Review Panel after he floored Shaun Higgins with a bump in the fourth quarter on Sunday.
Higgins was helped from the field, with Wells running on to collect the ball.
"We'll just wait and see what happens, but I grabbed the ball so, yeah," Wells said.
