HAWTHORN veteran Michael Osborne will make his return to senior football on Saturday after 11 months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Osborne has been selected in the 22 to take on Fremantle at Aurora Stadium.
It has been an indifferent rehabilitation for the forward, who was delisted by the Club in October so it could sign Free Agent, Jonathan Simpkin with the understanding he’s be selected by the Club in the National Draft.
His team first attitude was on show during the process, as Osborne agreed to be cut by the Club and re-selected. He was taken with the Club’s final pick, number 72 in the November draft.
Osborne tore his ACL in Round 7 at the MCG last season but has impressed everyone at the Club with his positive attitude and determination to return to senior level.
He has played two games in the VFL with the Club’s affiliate Box Hill and shown he has lost none of the skills and determination that made him a gritty and valuable member of Hawthorn’s forward set up in 2011 and early 2012.
Jed Anderson makes way for the veteran forward after sustaining a hamstring injury in Saturday’s win over Collingwood.
Brian Lake has been named as an emergency.
Round 4 team
FB: Gibson schoenmakers Hodge
HB: Burgoyne Stratton Birchall
C: Shiels Mitchell Hill
HF: Puopolo Franklin Smith
FF: Gunston Roughead Breust
Rucks: Hale Rioli Lewis
IC: Bailey, Osborne, Guerra, Duryea
IN: Osborne
OUT: Anderson (hamstring)
EM: Savage, Lake, Litherland
