GEELONG recruit Scott Selwood made a promising return to football in his first game since recovering from a serious ankle injury.
Donning his new colours for the first time in the VFL, Selwood had 17 disposals and bagged a goal in his side’s comfortable victory over Northern Blues.
Selwood, 26, played 135 games in eight seasons at West Coast before making the switch to Geelong as a free agent at the end of the last season.
The former Eagles co-captain was used sparingly throughout the match, but was delighted to get through his first game in 10 months unscathed.
“I was a little bit (nervous), I went through phases of getting a little nervous throughout the week, but I was really confident in my body so that was probably the best thing,” Selwood said.
“There were no nerves about the body, just nerves about the game which is a great feeling to have.
“I felt a bit stronger in my body today and just running around I felt a bit stronger in the contests.”
Selwood has struggled with chronic ankle injuries since 2014 and could only manage a total of 24 games in his past two seasons.
His style of play has drawn comparisons to his brother Joel, who is renowned for his fearless attack as an inside midfielder.
However, as a cautious approach, the new Cat was used predominantly across half-back in his comeback game.
“To work back into it we’re going to trial a few different positions on the outside and then slowly work myself back into the middle,” Selwood said.
“It’s just giving me experience back there and then in a couple weeks I’ll start playing in the middle again.”
It is anticipated that Selwood will push for senior selection in the lead-up to this year’s finals.
Despite the prospect of joining his brother Joel and fellow recruit Patrick Dangerfield in an exciting midfield, he said that nothing was guaranteed.
“There’s some boys playing some really good footy in the reserves that warrant positions before myself at the moment, so I’ve got to work really hard and try and earn my spot into the team.”
