Ultra-competitive footballer that he is, Paul Chapman was probably never going to take too kindly to donning the substitute’s vest.
But if there was ever an ideal way to ease your way back into the AFL fray after a long absence, then surely this was it.
Rather than waiting – impatiently – for three quarters or so before tasting his first senior action since April, triple premiership hero Chapman was in the thick of the action within the first 10 minutes of the Cats’ 44-point win over Sydney.
The opportunity came when ruckman Nathan Vardy hobbled off, having been kneed in the head by Shane Mumford.
In the 14 minutes it took the Geelong medical staff to ascertain that Vardy was not concussed, Chapman had helped himself to nine possessions, a goal and the plaudits of a capacity crowd at Skilled Stadium.
He spent the next two quarters back on the bench before returning in the final term as the Cats romped to victory.
Chapman is now likely to get a full game next weekend against Brisbane ahead of another finals campaign for the veteran of 248 games.
Not bad timing for a man whose last senior outing was in round four, since when he has battled ongoing hamstring problems.
“To get an extra 20 minutes in that first quarter, I’ll definitely take that,” said the 31-year-old Chapman.
“I got an early touch, got tackled pretty hard early, that set the scene.
“Against a quality team like Sydney, who make you earn every touch, it was just the preparation I needed.”
Coach Chris Scott was also delighted with the way Chapman’s day panned out.
“We would not have played him if we had doubts about how he would be around the ball and what his touch would be like,” said Scott.
“He has had three full games at VFL level, but in some ways we value our training as much as that and he has just been really clean around the ball, really sharp and his kicking skills in the last quarter shone through.
“We are really optimistic, as he is, that he is going to play a big part in the footy over the next four or five weeks.”