Ahmed Saad has made the most of the colossal blunder that nearly ended his AFL career.
St Kilda used pick No.19 in Wednesday’s rookie draft to bring the 25-year-old small forward back to the club.
His 18-month anti-doping ban ends in February and under WADA rules, Saad can resume training with the Saints six weeks before that.
Saad has worked with a personal trainer during the ban to stay fit and shorten the odds of a second AFL chance.
Carlton and Collingwood are understood to have also shown interest in Saad.
“It was pretty tough – I had a lot of challenges in front of me, especially with the tribunals and stuff like that,” Saad said.
“I’m glad that all went away and I could focus on my training … so I could give myself the best chance to come back and play AFL.
“I’m absolutely rapt that the Saints showed faith in picking me up again.”
St Kilda recruiting manager Tony Elshaug said Saad had impressed them with how he had approached his enforced break.
“When we drafted Ahmed three or four years ago, we were excited then and we’re just as excited now,” Elshaug said.
And Saad said he had no-one to blame for his plight but himself.
He was banned after testing positive to the Methyl Synephrine HCL, which was in an energy drink he took last year before an AFL match.
It was a rookie mistake, given the routine education in elite-level sports about taking supplements.
“The rules are the rules and what I did was wrong,” said Saad, who has played 29 games for the Saints.
ASADA appealed in a bid to raise his ban to 24 months, but it was not upheld.
Had the appeal succeeded, Saad’s dream of an AFL comeback would have ended.
Saad was among several players with senior experience to find new AFL homes in Wednesday’s pre-season and rookie drafts.
Nathan Krakouer is back at Port Adelaide, three years after his AFL career appeared prematurely over when he left Gold Coast for personal reasons.
Krakouer, 26, played 40 games for the Power from 2007-10 and then 13 matches in his only season at the Suns.
He spent this year playing for Port’s SANFL team and showed impressive form.
Former Richmond and Brisbane player Andrew Raines was the last player taken in the rookie draft, with Gold Coast giving him an AFL lifeline at No.71.
Premiers Hawthorn used pick No.53 to sign Lachlan Langford.
The 18-year-old is the younger brother of Will, who was a revelation for the Hawks this season as they won their second flag in the space of three years.
Carlton were the only club to make a selection in the pre-season draft, recruiting former Western Bulldogs player Jason Tutt.
Wednesday’s drafts finalise club lists for next season and Brock McLean (Carlton), Jared Patrenko (Adelaide) and Kyle Hardingham (Essendon) were among those players to miss out on selection.
SOME EYEBROW-RAISERS FROM THE AFL PRE-SEASON AND ROOKIE DRAFTS
* Richmond officially recruited Ivan Saldo, the cousin of Tigers ruckman Ivan Maric. Saldo, a 204cm basketballer, had not played any Australian Rules until earlier this year.
* Nathan Krakouer has had a remarkable AFL career – three years at Port Adelaide, a year at Gold Coast, leaving the Suns for personal reasons, three years out of top-level football and now back at the Power.
* Lachlan Langford has joined his older brother Will at Hawthorn – the same club which his father and AFL Commissioner Chris served with such distinction.
* Former Richmond and Brisbane midfielder Andrew Raines had to wait until No.71 – the last pick of the two drafts – for Gold Coast to give him a third AFL home.
