EMERGING midfielder Alex Neal-Bullen says he was over the moon to simply play last weekend – his first match of any sorts this year – following knee injuries sustained in the pre-season.

Neal-Bullen returned to play for Casey in the AFL Victoria Development League last Sunday against Frankston at Casey Fields, after overcoming his most recent injury. And to cap off his return, he landed a goal with his first kick.

“It’s always a good way to start, kicking a goal, but it was just good to get among the boys,” he told Dee TV.

“They’re a great bunch of fellas down there, so I was really pleased with how they embraced me into their team. Coming back and kicking the first goal is always a good start, and it set my game up from there.

“I’m happy all of the rehab is over and I’m loving that I’m back out on the paddock. It was good to have a runaround on the weekend for the Casey development team. We came away with a win and I got a bit of the pill as well, so it was a great start for my recovery and getting back into footy.”

Neal-Bullen said he wasn’t nervous upon his return to the game – just excited.

“I just thrive off playing footy. I didn’t think about it too much. I just wanted to go out there and play footy. I didn’t over think it and I enjoyed myself,” he said.

“I honestly didn’t think about the knee once – and I think that’s a good place to be. If you’re running out there thinking about it, then that means you’re not 100 per cent there.

“A lot of it is your mental awareness of it.”

The South Australian is now champing at the bit to play his second match on the weekend – again for Casey in the development team.

“The weekend just gone I played 50 per cent and I’ll step that up [and add another] 30 per cent and hopefully get a bit more of it … then the week after that, I’ll be up for selection for the senior Casey team,” he said.

“If they can squeeze me in there, I’ll be very happy and if not – and they want to put me in the development team again – then I’ll take that on board and keep chipping away at it.”

Neal-Bullen said his return from two separate dislocated knee injuries, since he had been drafted at No.40 in last year’s NAB AFL Draft, had required plenty of hard work to overcome. 

“The first time was a freak accident at training and the second time was a bit more concerning because there wasn’t any collision – it was just doing a normal drill and it just popped out and then popped back in,” he said.

“This time we approached it a bit more conservatively and on the first week, it was all about icing and recovery and doing everything I could, just to make sure the swelling went down straight away.

“Once I could get full motion back into my knee, I started on the spin bike and then moved onto the Wattbike, which is a stationary bike that measures your wattage and all the power that you’re putting into every session.

“They’re one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to go through and I’m glad I did it because it’s going to be good for the long run. I’ve really built up strength in the quads and the muscles around the knee.”

Neal-Bullen said a recent check-up on his knee had given him confidence that he had completed the work.  

“I had a scan the other week and I’ve put on a kilo on each leg, so seeing that result probably benefitted my mental knowledge of how it’s improved and how I’ve done all of the work right,” he said.

“After I did the Wattbike, I started to do a bit of running and just slowly built up from a walk to a jog to a half pace – then all of the way to full pace. Then [I’ve] just been maintaining that for about two weeks.

“I did a week of training – some main training and then some extras with the development boys. [After that] I did another full week of training and then played on the weekend.

“So it’s been a long road to recovery, but I’m glad it took that long because it means that I’ve done everything in my ability that I can do. I’m really going to benefit from it I reckon, with all of the support around the club and the resources I’m able to get my hands around.”

Neal-Bullen, who is living with teammates Billy Stretch and Jimmy Toumpas, said it was great living with a couple of other South Australians.

“We’re SA boys, so we bond really well. I just love the club at the moment and I can’t wait to keep playing footy and having a good year,” he said.

“I reckon we’re in for a good year in the AFL and at Casey level.

“The club’s in a good direction at the moment and our supporters should hang tight and look forward to what’s ahead.”