IT’S been a long road back to the Hawthorn side for Ryan Schoenmakers. 

He played just his fourth game of the year in the Hawks’ dramatic victory over the Pies on Sunday, a long time since his last game way back in Round 3.

After such a long layoff with injury and finals just around the corner, Schoenmakers said it was almost like starting a brand new season.

“I feel like I’ve started the season again. I’m feeling pretty fresh – obviously the body is a bit sore now but mentally I’m feeling fresh and ready to go so I’m excited about (playing finals),” he told hawthornfc.com.au.

The premiership player said although the Hawks secured a top four finish with victory over the Pies, he still felt the effects of his first AFL game since early April.

“(I feel) pretty sore, really. It was a pretty hard fought game right to the end so it’s good going into finals to get that sort of competition, but the body was pretty sore in the last quarter,” he said.

Having played two games at Box Hill before being recalled to the Hawthorn team, Schoenmakers said it was difficult to replicate the intensity of an AFL game at VFL level or in training.

“It probably is (hard to replicate) a little bit. It’s definitely a step up and we saw that today – it was a really hot contest all day,” he said.

“It was contested, a lot of run and chasing – but credit to Collingwood they played really well.”

The Hawks will enjoy a week off before turning their attention to their qualifying final fixture against Geelong at the MCG on September 9.