It’s been many years since Bradshaw played at Reserves level - he thinks it might have been in 2003 or 2004 when he was at the Brisbane Lions.
But after three months on the sidelines, all he wants to do is play, no matter where.
“At my age, all I want to do is play footy. The last three months have been one of my hardest times ever in footy. It’s been a real mental game for me so I just want to get out there,’’ Bradshaw told sydneyswans.com.au
Bradshaw will line-up with the Swans reserves against Belconnen at 2pm on Saturday to test the troublesome knee that has kept him out of action since Round 9.
“It’s got to the point now where I’ve just got to play a game and see how it goes. It’s now or never because I’m running out of time,’’ Bradshaw said.
“If I get injured, I get injured, but if I get through, I’m a chance to play in the finals.’’
Bradshaw trained well on Thursday night but the real issue was how he felt when he woke up on Friday morning. “I was pleasantly surprised, I pulled up well,’’ he said.
He has had two knee operations this year, and has also been troubled by a hamstring strain, which occurred just before he was due to play in round 13 against Collingwood.
“Touchwood, the soft tissue problems are gone, so it’s just been soreness in the knee,’’ he said.
“The hardest part has been not knowing how long it was going to take. There was no set time, I was out indefinitely and doing rehab every second day. It really tested me mentally,’’ he said.
But Bradshaw was upbeat ahead of his trip to Canberra. “It’s been tough at times but now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,’’ he said. “I’ve checked the weather and it’s going to be three degrees in Canberra overnight, but 12 degrees on Saturday so that’s not too cold!’’
