Jeremy Howe makes comeback his coach thought wouldn’t happen

When Jeremy Howe was stretchered off the MCG in round 1, a playing return looked a long way off and his coach wasn’t sure it would happen at all.

Jeremy Howe’s impending return from a horrific broken arm has astounded his Collingwood coach Craig McRae, who thought the star defender was “no chance” to play again in 2023 when he first injured himself.

On Sunday, the 32-year-old is set to play his first game since suffering a compound fracture of his forearm in round 1, an injury so bad broadcasters refused to show replays.

Despite multiple rounds of surgery, when the arm became infected early in his recovery, Howe has passed all the necessary checks and will bolster the premiership favourites for the clash against Adelaide and in the run in to the finals.

“Three or four weeks post-operation I thought he was no chance (to return this season),” McRae said on Friday.

“When he had the illness and infection there was no timeline attached to it.

“It was always the unknown but he said to me he‘s a good bone healer, so he’s true to his word.”

Jeremy Howe injured himself in this marking contest in round 1. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Howe will follow a growing trend at AFL clubs and come straight back into the senior team without a match at VFL level.

Clubs are more often backing in the training loads players do as better preparation than the second level, the standard of which has been questioned by some coaches.

The 220-game veteran is likely to play on Crows spearhead Taylor Walker, and having seen Howe train with Collingwood’s main group for the past three weeks, McRae is confident Howe is ready.

“He’s been training well, but now he has to go out and do it.,” McRae said.

“We‘ve got great confidence in our rehab team. There‘s a number of players that have done the same thing and it’s amazing how much a GPS tells you these days.

Jeremy Howe has been training hard. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“They‘re training above AFL level, in terms of intensity, for weeks on end.

“Patty Lipinksi, for example, did four weeks of work and did more work than he did for the whole pre-season.

“So (Howe) has done the work but it’s one thing to have done the work; now to go out and do it on the MCG is a different thing, but he’s ready to play.”

Howe isn’t the only returning Magpie, with Jamie Elliott overcoming a shoulder injury to play his first game in a month and Jack Ginnivan also named.

The Magpies had an eight-game winning streak ended by Melbourne on the King’s Birthday but still sit second on the AFL ladder behind Port Adelaide.

Originally published as Jeremy Howe makes comeback his coach thought wouldn’t happen