It's been 1018 days since he last ran out for an AFL match, but Harley Bennell is set to make a fairytale return to the league on Saturday.
The long-awaited return for Bennell, 27, was announced to the playing group by coach Simon Goodwin at training on Wednesday, accompanied by a tweet from Melbourne simply saying: "He's in."
He's in. :lock:#GoDees pic.twitter.com/MQWSRaoITm
— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) June 10, 2020
The classy midfielder has been plagued by a horror run of reoccurring calf injuries, having played just two games in four seasons, and was picked up by Melbourne as part of the supplementary selection period (SSP).
Melbourne announced they will also hand debuts to 2019 draftees Luke Jackson and Trent Rivers.
The Demons tackle the Blues at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.