It’s Aish to finally be back

FAR from feeling like a stranger when he returned to the Collingwood line-up, for James Aish it was as though he’d never left.

The Pies have talked repeatedly about the strength of their system and it’s a big reason why they’re in the finals.

It stood out to Aish when he returned in Round 21 after a knee injury in Round 6.

The utility has slotted seamlessly into defence as a running half-back.

“It’s been interesting, because I came back in the team after roughly three months and it felt pretty much the same, which was quite surprising,” he said. “Just the way we’re structured and the way we play, everyone knows their role and does it.

“When you get experienced players back and you’ve played with them … Goldy and Howey (Tyson Goldsack and Jeremy Howe), for example, you do have that underlying chemistry and you can get the job done a bit easier.”

After a big off-season, Aish made an encouraging start to this year. Then came the knee injury and fears that he would need season-ending surgery.

Instead, Aish wore a brace and was able to heal quickly.

“You can look at it both ways — it was lucky I was playing well at the time,” he said.

“Obviously I was very disappointed, but once there was any hope of playing this year, I just used it as a challenge.”