Rhys Barber's return to football was long-awaited.
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A string of serious back injuries sidelined the towering Demon for years and left him to enviously watch on as his teammates dominated the league, holding hope of a quick return.
Now back on the field after missing the entirety of the 2018 season, Barber has quickly made up for lost time.
"I'm pretty happy and excited that I'm playing seniors this early on in the season," he said.
"I've missed a fair bit of footy... I didn't expect to be playing as early as I did."
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In his short career, Barber has already overcome more adversity than many country footballers would expect to experience.
"I've had a couple of bulged discs, so I haven't played much over the past two or three years," he said.
"There was a lot of rest, and I did a lot of physio - lots of massage and chiropractors and specialist appointments down in Melbourne.
"There was a fair bit going on."
While the need to go under the knife may have hampered any on-field contributions, Barber stayed committed to his beloved Demons.
"I was on the sidelines. I was just more frustrated than anything. You just want to get out there and help your team out," he said.
"I managed to get down to pretty much every game and tried to support the boys. If you're not going down, you sort of don't feel a part of the team."
Barber first harboured hopes of a return to football after a successful operation last year.
"It was probably about halfway through last year that I thought I was coming alright," he said.
"I didn't play at first, just started doing a bit of training to try and get my fitness up. Then, I had a good pre-season, so that's when I knew I was right to go."
Barber already has seven seniors appearances to his name this season and said his first game back, with the reserves, was a special occasion.
"All the boys were really supportive. When I had my first game back this year, they all got up and got around me, which was nice. It's a good bunch of young guys," he said.
The returnee has been thrust right into the action, often picking up the work in the ruck left by an injury (broken foot) to Sid Hernon.
Barber said his approach to football hadn't been affected the injury.
"It hasn't really changed a lot. I just go out there and put my head over the footy and try my best," he said.
"I'm just happy to be back out there really.
"There's nothing worse than being stuck on the sidelines watching."
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