Hawthorn star Will Day is set to make his AFL return on Thursday night after getting through last Friday's VFL game unscathed.
The Hawks midfielder was named in his side's lineup to face St Kilda, after finishing with 16 disposals and six tackles last week in his first competitive outing after a shoulder injury. It had been pencilled in the calendar as his return match for some time.
He comes in to a Hawthorn side which has got six points from its last three games despite being well below its best.
Day last played AFL in Round 21 last year and has played just six of Hawthorn's last 37 games.
"A lot of fun, that's what I wanted to make sure it was and playing with such a young group, everyone loves playing with each other so I feel like I fit right in. A lot of joy, I was flat I couldn't be out there at the end, but loved it," Day told Box Hill media after his first game back last week.
"(I have) a lot of gratitude, it's been a long journey, so just trying to get back in and be thankful for everything, playing footy again and doing what I love so I feel like I was able to do that tonight We'll see what happens next but to just get through, I'm really happy with
"In rehab, you stay process-driven so to get back to normality and doing what I love is something I'm really grateful for.
His starpower in the midfield will be an important addition for a side which currently sits in the bottom four for centre clearances across the competition.
