GREEN’S BACK IN SWING
THE wait has been longer than he would have liked but there will not be any complaints when Josh Green returns to TSL football today.
A decade after playing his last match for Clarence — a second flag in the 2010 grand final — the livewire forward will line up for the Roos against rivals Glenorchy.
Making the comeback all the more special is it will unfold at Richmond Oval, a ground he grew up living near in his junior days and where his dad played his career.
“I lived out there until I got drafted, so there are no complaints from me playing out there,” Green said.
“Dad played all his senior football out at Richmond, so the occasion has actually worked out really well. First game back in 10 years and it is at Richmond, my home town, it is quite special.”
Green, who kicked 132 goals in 105 games with Brisbane Lions and Essendon, missed the Roos’ season opener against Lauderdale after a broken nose in an intraclub match the previous week.
It added to the frustration after the COVID-19 pandemic stalled his return, and now the 27-year-old is itching to get back on the park. The twotime Lions leading goalkicker is also prepared for what will come his way from opponents and spectators.
“I wasn’t planning to play my first game in late July but it is what it is. I’m really excited and looking forward to playing with this group,” he said.
“They are quite young but they have a lot of potential. Hopefully I can play my part, I reckon I will be a bit rusty but hopefully I can get on the end of a couple.
“It is still going to take a bit more time to get used to this brand of footy, but in terms of sledging and what they will probably try to do to someone who has dropped back a level, I am looking forward to it as well.”
He is set to be forward with bursts in the midfield.
“My body is a little bit banged up, I won’t be the player I used to be,” he said.
“Coming back, the enticement … is trying to help guys.
People like [Cameron] Thurley were helping me when I was a kid, so if I can have an impact on guys like Ollie Davis, and Sam Banks and these guys coming through, it would be good.
“I just wanted to come back and do my bit, and pass on what I’ve learned.”