Daniel Keenan returns from Achilles injury after just six months

Northern Football League legend Daniel Keenan returned to the field on Saturday just six months after what seemed a career-ending injury.

Six months after rupturing his Achilles tendon, Hurstbridge star Daniel Keenan made a remarkable comeback on Saturday.

The Northern Football League games record holder’s career looked over in January, told the injury would require a 12-month rehabilitation.

It’s a stunning recovery after ripping the tendon off the bone on a day out with family.

Keenan’s 403rd senior game ended in a heavy defeat to West Preston-Lakeside but will be long remembered.

The return even took the man himself by surprise.

Daniel Keenan in action for Hurstbridge. Picture: Nathan McNeill

“I just knuckled down and did all the rehab that I could possibly do (but) I didn’t think I’d play again at all,” he said.

“I got back to running, I pushed it a bit along the way, a little bit more than I probably should have.

“I realised I might be able to play again this season during the previous lockdown (in June), I had a call with the physio and she asked if I’d thought about playing footy again.

“She explained that if the surgery repair was going to fail it would have failed early.

“I decided to go down and join in training a little bit and didn’t pull up sore and just took it from there.”

It had been almost 18 months since Keenan last took the field, a practice match before the 2020 season was cancelled.

Normally at home in the midfield, Keenan spent much of the game in the forward line, easing himself back into senior football.

It was a tough day for the Bridges’ attack with limited supply against a ruthless Roosters outfit.

Daniel Keenan in action for Hurstbridge. Picture: Nathan McNeill

The two-time Rosbrook Medal winning admitted he was a bit nervous before the game and just hoped he’d done enough to keep his spot for next week’s clash against Montmorency at Ben Frilay Oval.

“I was nervous, I was, I was pretty confident I wasn’t going to have an issue with the injury,” he said.

“I’d tested it as much as I could at training and the next step was playing a game.

“As soon as the game started, running around, you get into and realise it’s not an issue.

“I spent most of my time in the forward line, which wasn’t a great day on the weekend to be up forward.

DIV 1: SAAD’S 11 HELPS ROOSTERS SMASH DECADE-LONG MARK

LEADER: GET YOUR NORTHERN FOOTY NEWS HERE

DIV 1: LLOYD INJURY A MASSIVE BLOW TO BUNDOORA HOPES

“It wasn’t the result we’d hoped for one the day, the result aside it was good to be back out there.”

It’s some much-needed good news for Hurstbridge after star forward Cameron Cloke was sidelined for the rest of the season due to concussion.

With three games remaining in the home-and-away season Keenan hopes to play out the rest of the year without incident.

Lachie East, Mitch Dale, Ben Beaven and Will Cookson were Hurstbridge’s best in defeat, while Joel Naylor kicked two goals to take his season tally to 36.