Towering Gold Coast forward Peter Wright has spoken of the frustration of not playing for the first half of the season.
Wright strained his calf during the SUNS' pre-season and, following several failed comeback attempts, finally played his first game against Hawthorn on Saturday.
He kicked 2.2 from 11 disposals and five marks and looked a dangerous sidekick for Tom Lynch when the ball went forward.
"I was very excited, pretty nervous," Wright told AFL.com.au.
"It was my first game in a while.
"The calf was frustrating. Initially it was a good strain, so it was a going to be a four-weeker.
"I've had a few false starts. Every time I'd run it'd get sore so it'd set me back a week or two.
"It probably happened three times and it pushed it out to three months. It was always not far away but I couldn't get it across the line."
Gold Coast appeared to delay Wright's comeback by flying him to China for the round nine fixture against Port Adelaide, only for him to watch from the grandstand.
The 21-year-old could have been back in Australia playing a third NEAFL match on his comeback trail.
But Wright defended the decision, saying the SUNS had to cover their bases following the previous round's suspension of Sam Day, which, added to Lynch's knee injury at the time, left them light-on for tall players.
"Dewy asked me if I wanted to go after Sam was suspended. I was the last resort," Wright said.
"The plan was to play me a third game in the NEAFL to load the calf slowly. If Brayden Crossley or (Jarrod Witts) Wittsy went down we'd be really undersized.
"I understood it might push me back a week or so, but I didn't mind. It's just the nature of the beast. With China, you have to make those decisions on the Monday."
Wright played two more matches in the NEAFL spending a good chunk of his time in the ruck to regain his fitness and touch.
On Saturday night Wright will play an in-form Collingwood team that includes former Vic Metro under-18 teammate Jordan de Goey, who was taken three spots ahead of him at No.5 in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft.
