A SERIOUS leg injury behind him, Aidan Riley will be out to repay Melbourne's faith when he plays his first game for the club against Richmond at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
"It's been a long time coming since last year, but I'm very excited and can't wait to get out there with the boys," Riley told AFL.com.au about his impending club debut.
The 22-year-old had a tough start to his first year at Melbourne, stuck in rehab, trying to heal the fractured fibula he suffered when playing for Adelaide in round 15 last season.
His twelfth AFL game for Adelaide turned out to be his last at the club, delisted by the Crows at the end of 2013 after three seasons on the list (including a year on the rookie list).
But the Demons were prepared to hand the tough inside midfielder a second chance – picking him up as a delisted free agent – fully aware he would be out of action for the start of this season.
"They (Melbourne) showed a lot of faith in me to throw me a lifeline and the way they've handled me has been really professional," Riley said.
"They knew, when they picked me up, how serious that leg injury was. And for them to back me in and give me another chance was a great sign of faith."
Demons coach Paul Roos told Riley the good news at training on Thursday, leading to applause and congratulatory messages from teammates.
They know how hard the 'Pig Dog', as he is known around the club, has done things.
"I was slogging away in rehab and you only really get to see the guys in the locker room," Riley said.
"You don't get to form that camaraderie out on the field, so that took a lot longer to build up but I'm really excited that I've got my chance and now I've got to play well enough to stay in the side."
Riley has proved his fitness in his six games back at VFL level, including a purple-patch where he has averaged 26 disposals over the past two weeks.
The nickname 'pig dog' was coined by former Crow, now Tiger, Ivan Maric, and it has stuck with Riley ever since.
To the best of Riley's knowledge, the nickname references the way the midfielder gets his hands dirty, throwing himself in to the bottom of the packs – not unlike the way former Crow Robert Shirley used to go about his football.
"I was hoping to get away from it, but with Bernie (Vince) coming over that didn't last too long," Riley said with a laugh.
