When Taylor Garner injured his hamstring in the 2014 NAB Challenge, he couldn't possibly have imagined his next game of football would be 463 days later.
Yet that was the situation on Saturday afternoon at North Port Oval as the 21 year old ran out for North Ballarat in the VFL with many of his Kangaroos' teammates looking on from the stands.
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Playing only the first half of the game, Garner immediately showcased the tenacity around the ball which saw him earn two AFL games in his first year at Arden Street. However his own thoughts were slightly more low-key.
"To start with I felt a bit out of place just because it's been so long," Garner told NMFC.com.au.
"I was thinking, 'this is actually happening.' But I was lucky enough to get a tackle nice and early and that got my confidence up.
"I felt quite good out there and I've pulled up well straight after the match so that's a positive sign."
Development Manager Ben Dyer was rapt with Garner's game, explaining how he exceeded expectations.
"He looked so poised and comfortable for a bloke that was playing his first game for 18 months.
"There was no hesitation from the first time the ball was in his area. He's got that competitiveness in spades and that's always going to put him in a position to impact the play.
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"It's exactly what you want from the half-forward/midfield role because a lot of the time their opportunities come from that sort of aggression.
"We would have been happy with him just running around and playing a game of footy again, but for him to impact like he did was the highlight of the day.
Garner's own high standards meant he immediately focused on his areas of improvement following the game.
"I missed a couple opportunities early that I've got to work on during the week. That should come with some game time," Garner said.
"It was about time-on of the second quarter when I started blowing pretty hard, and the plan was to play me for a half and bring me back in slowly."
As the light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter in the weeks leading up to Garner's comeback, the desire to play was almost impossible to stop.
It was a delicate balancing act getting enough training into the youngster's legs to have him ready to play while also letting him loose as soon as possible.
"I felt good two weeks prior to this, but the medical staff were holding me back. I wish I was out there earlier, but obviously it's precautionary with the time I've had off up until today.
"It was hard, because sometimes you think you're ahead of where the medical staff say you are, and then it can be the other way around at times as well.
But ultimately the goal was reached, and Garner summed up the day in his trademark short style.
"It's been a rollercoaster but it was great to play again."
