“For him to come back and give us the effort he did on the back end of the season was super,” Solomon told goldcoastfc.com.au.
“It should instil confidence in the back of his mind, knowing that he is back and that his knee is going to be fine.
“It is all about getting him super fit now.”
Forced into retirement due to a painful degenerative knee injury, Solomon is no stranger to knee injuries.
“Mentally it will always be a huge hurdle; however you’ll forever be reaching little goals on the way.”
At his peak, Solomon was regarded as one of the toughest players to ever pull on a pair of footy boots.
But even in his 13 years in the AFL, the 2000 Premiership player says he has never once seen an athlete with more tenacity and fire in the belly to win the hard ball, with little regard for self-preservation.
“We know with Seb that he is all heart and contests every time,” he said.
Given his limited pre-season, the former South Australian junior captain bounced back strong, playing seven of the final eight Premiership matches after making his AFL return against Richmond at Cazaly’s Stadium in Round 16.
“It is all positive when it comes to Seb because he came off a knee reconstruction with a limited pre-season, so it has always been about getting his strength back and confidence in his running and agility,” he said.
“We’re looking for a big shift in improve from Seb over the 2013/14 pre-season, and getting his fitness back to AFL standard.”
