In 2016, Jonathon Ceglar looked close to the peak of his powers.
Following the retirement of David Hale at the end of the 2015 season, Ceglar was expected to fill the void left open by the departure of the three-time premiership Hawk.
That he did.
At 25 years of age, the ruckman played 19 of a possible 21 senior matches, averaging 10.5 disposals, 21.4 hit-outs and just shy of a goal per game.
But in Round 22 against West Coast at Domain Stadium, disaster struck.
Late in the third quarter, Ceglar had worked hard to compete in a marking contest.
He got there in the nick of time but his lunging spoil forced his body into an awkward landing position and his knee buckled.
In the days following, scans confirmed Ceglar had torn his ACL.
He would miss the remainder of the season and the bulk of the next.
As it happened, Ceglar did not make his return to football in 2017, nor has he featured at any point yet in 2018.
But this Saturday, 625 days after that dreadful event in Perth, Ceglar will make his long-awaited comeback.
He will run out for the Box Hill Hawks in their clash with the Sandringham Zebras on Saturday.
It marks the end of an enduring and torturing recovery process that has also seen the 27-year old overcome a back strain over the summer.
Hawthorn’s Director of High Performance Andrew Russell says the 204cm ruckman has proven his fitness and is ready to the field this Saturday.
“He’s looking great,” said Russell.
“He’s excited, and we’ll see him out there this week playing for Box Hill.”
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