SFNL: Ex-AFL player Nathan Freeman had a day out for Dingley in his return from injury

There were no cobwebs for Dingley’s Nathan Freeman who, alongside Trent Dennis-Lane, filled the stat sheet against Bentleigh.

Nathan Freeman celebrates one of his two goals. Picture: Jake Marriner/Jam_Visuals

Dingley coach Zach Horsley said “it was no surprise”.

Ex-AFL Magpie and Saint Nathan Freeman made a sizzling return to Dingley’s loaded Southern league Division 1 side on Saturday.

He missed the first five rounds of the season with an injury he sustained during last years finals series but returned in triumphant yet typical fashion.

Freeman piled up 40 possessions and kicked two goals in the Dingoes’ 86-point win over Bentleigh, which could only be matched by 9.5 from 14 disposals by forward Trent Dennis-Lane.

Horsley said Freeman’s return had been “a slow build” but he wasn’t shocked by the star midfielder’s immediate impact.

“He’s been rehabbing that (the injury) which has significantly reduced his training time and that sort of thing,” he said.

“It’s been a slow build and we’ve been able to get him back at this time of the year, hopefully we build a few games into him.

“He’s probably been training fairly consistently over the past six weeks and we’ve seen his normal habits and patterns at training.

“So it’s no surprise to us that he’s come out and started off how he finished last year.”

Nathan Freeman celebrates one of his two goals. Picture: Jake Marriner/Jam_Visuals

Dingley is now 5-1 with its only loss coming against Cheltenham in round 2.

The Rosellas midfield won that battle but did so against a Dingoes engine room without Freeman, who Horsley says they’ve sorely missed.

“He’s just an unbelievable connector between the arcs, he generates speed and control,” he said.

“You can tell our game style and method missed that type of player so to get him in and use that skill set between the arcs was something that generated a good result.

“It allows our other boys to play slightly different roles and they were able to have successful days as well by playing more outside or more offensively.”

Stefan (left) and Lachie Lamble.

Before he and brother Stefan were leading a fight against cancer, Lachie Lamble was one of Dingley’s more exciting wingmen.

Lamble was spotted down at the Dingoes den on Saturday but Horsley doesn’t have a timeline on when or if Lamble plays this year.

“He obviously smashed his body in the charity run he did, which was fantastic what he and Stef put together,” he said.

“We had a chat with him during the week, he’s got a bit of rehab, rest and recovery that he needs to tick off before he even thinks about footy.

“There’s no timeline on when, if or how he returns, it’s just if his body comes up in decent shape he might think about it — at this stage he’s probably unlikely.”

Dingley takes on Port Melbourne Colts this weekend.