Playing his last full season of football for South Launceston's reserves in 2017, Darren Crawford thought his career was over.
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Dogged by hip injuries which had plagued him since breaking the joint at just 21, the curtain was being drawn on years of service for Tassie Devils, Mariners, North Launceston, South Launceston and Ulverstone.
But following a hip replacement late last year at just 32 years of age, the gun forward returned with a bang on Saturday, kicking five goals in Old Launcestonians' 121-point win over University of Tasmania.
Admitting that returning to football wasn't always on the agenda, the F45 employee was able to use his work to rebuild his fitness before the idea of playing this season came about.
"I didn't really set myself out to say I want to play this round one when it came about, it was just more for me, getting back to some general fitness and then entertaining the thought of can I do this, can I not?" Crawford said.
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"I just ended up playing on the weekend and I was a bit apprehensive of how I was going to go but once I got out there and got amongst it, got through the first quarter and started to get a little bit better as the game wore on, it just took a bit to get going early on."
Having moved into coaching last season under former North Launceston teammate Allan O'Sign at George Town, Crawford relocated to Old Launcestonians this year to assist another ex-ally in Laine Cleaver, where his love of the game was rekindled.
Describing the return as "one thing leading to another", he conceded that his playing days are still numbered but is excited to enjoy them while they last.
"It's something the surgeon did say there's that element of chance that it can dislocate being a fake hip, so it was something I had to weigh up whether I do or don't.
"I probably won't entertain or do for a long time, it's probably only going to be this year and maybe next year if I get through.
"She's a week-by-week proposition at the moment, so I'm a bit stiff and sore after my first game in a bit over two-and-a-bit years, so I'm certainly feeling every bit of my age at the moment but it was enjoyable.
"When you play footy and you have it taken away at a relatively young age, it's something that I was pretty keen to get back and see if I could still do it."
This weekend, the Old Launcestonians group, buoyed by the inclusion of eight players from other clubs for the NTFA Shield, several of whom Crawford helped recruit, will prepare for their first premier division test on Saturday, facing Andrew Philpott's Bracknell.
With coach Cleaver last week saying that he wants his side to be the strongest division one team in the NTFA Shield, Crawford is looking forward to the challenge that the Redlegs and other premier league sides present.
"Against the premier league teams, I think we are going to go in with that nothing to lose attitude and that's the right way to go about it," he said.
"I think a lot of teams will be experimenting, playing some young kids and whatever result you get on a Saturday, I don't think you can be too disheartened - as long as the effort is there, the scoreboard will take care of itself.
"We are just taking it one game at a time, a lot of blokes are going to be coming in and out with work commitments and family and whatnot so I don't think you'll see a consistent side every week and that continuity.
"That does make it a little bit hard as well but we are excited by it and just happy to be playing footy. I think everyone in the public is happy to be out and about, having a bit of local footy on again and it was a good turnout down there on Saturday."
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