Demon Tom Bugg relieved to be back after season-ending suspension for Callum Mills punch

MELBOURNE’S Tom Bugg had been counting down the days to his football return. And after doing his “time” for an off-the-ball hit that ended his 2017 season, the Demon is just grateful to be back.

Tom Bugg ‘did his time’ and is back for the Demons. Pic: Getty Images

CONTROVERSIAL forward Tom Bugg has vowed to repay the faith Melbourne showed in him through the most challenging experience of his football life, saying he has counted the days since he last wore a Demons jumper.

Bugg played his first game for Melbourne on Friday night since his reckless off-the-ball punch decked Sydney’s Callum Mills in Round 15 last year.

He was rubbed out for six weeks for the hit, which threatened to end his AFL career.

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Bugg said he was thankful to be a part of Melbourne’s AFLX-winning side after serving his penance and dealing with the public fallout from the incident.

“For me, I am just happy to be out there playing in a Melbourne jumper again,” Bugg told the Sunday Herald Sun. “I hadn’t done that since June 30.

“I looked it up (on Thursday night), it was 238 days (since he had worn a Demons jumper). I’m just grateful to be back out there.”

Tom Bugg is relieved to be back. Pic: Getty Images

The 24-year-old accepted full responsibility for his strike on Mills, apologising and even penning a letter to explain his contrition.

“You had a lot of different thoughts go through your mind, especially because I had never been suspended before,” he said on Friday.

“You can’t control what everyone else says. At the end of the day, I did the wrong thing ... I did my time.

“For me, I had to deal with some emotions through it, but I also knew I had to work hard to come back and do the right thing.”

Bugg said the club and coach Simon Goodwin had been “really supportive”.

“There are lot of caring people around the club. ‘Goodie’ coaches that way,” he said.

He hopes this is the last time he has to speak about the hit on Mills.

Angry Swans players remonstrate with Tom Bugg after last year’s ugly incident. Pic: AAP

“For me, it has happened and now I want to move on to bigger and hopefully better things,” he said.

Goodwin was a great sounding board for Bugg, as he dealt with the uncertainty about his future during his suspension.

Bugg returned for two VFL games with Casey late last year.

“I think he (Goodwin) has had to deal with some adversity in his life,” Bugg said.

“He had a lot of empathy for me and when you see someone who has gone through so much being so supportive, they just pass on their own experiences.”

Bugg said Melbourne’s frustrating end to 2017 — when it was beaten by Collingwood in the final round and narrowly missed the finals — was a driving motivation to attack the new season.

“Melbourne has been inconsistent for so long, so we want to build that winning culture,” he said. “So whether it is AFLX or JLT or the main season, we want to build that.

“The coaching staff have implemented that with the players, and I feel the players are driving that as well.

“All we want to do is win and that’s what (the AFLX grand final win) was about.”