RYAN Schoenmakers had to wait 351 days before returning to the football field after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament but his comeback couldn’t have gone any better.

Unable to participate in intra-club games over the pre-season or practice matches in the lead-up to season 2014, Box Hill’s clash against Werribee on Saturday was the first opportunity Schoenmakers had to play in a competitive match.

He played in his usual role in defence, taking one of the opposition’s most dangerous forwards but also relished the chance to push up the ground and kick the goal to seal the Hawks’ second victory of the VFL season.

“I’d been waiting a long time to get out there, so I was just super excited to run around with the boys and get that feeling again,” Schoenmakers told hawthornfc.com.au

“I was pretty happy with that move up forward and there was a nice little run up the wing in the last quarter, it was good fun.”

Mental challenges are just as tough as the physical ones in football and in life and the 23 year old said he dealt with those well in his comeback game.

While you couldn’t blame him for thinking about his knee and maybe not committing his body fully to a contest or two in his first game back, Schoenmakers said he never gave his reconstructed knee a second thought.

It is testament to the rehabilitation program he completed under the watchful eye of the Club’s medical and fitness staff but also the mental strength he has shown throughout his journey to playing football again.

“There was no thought about my knee whatsoever,” he said.

“Over the last couple of weeks I’ve done a lot of change of direction and put it under some fair pressure at training. I knew it was going to hold up.

“I was completely confident with where I was at and more than ready for the game.”

But more than anything, his mind was consumed with excitement.

“I’d been waiting a long time to get out there, so I was just super excited to run around with the boys and get that feeling again,” he said.

With one game now under his belt, Schoenmakers is focused on getting his body match conditioned and at the same time, showing the form that will get him selected in the senior team.

But there’s no rush.

“I’ve been out of the game for a year now, so there’s obviously going to be a few things I need to work on and get used to playing with the boys and the structures and everything. (But) that’ll come in the next few weeks, I’m pretty confident about that so I’m not in too much of a rush,” he said.

“The big thing with the AFL team over the last couple of years has been the way they’ve gelled because they’ve played a lot of footy together.

“You get to know how each other plays and what things happen in certain situations, so that’s probably what I need to pick up on.

“But even just watching, you can see how the boys react and what they’re thinking, so I think that’s one thing that should come pretty naturally.”