For the third time in his career, Matt Scharenberg will return from a knee reconstruction on Saturday in the VFL.
After 10 months on the sidelines, Scharenberg is looking to put behind him five seasons of constant setbacks and show the wider football world how good he can truly be.
Scharenberg, a popular figure in the dressing room, was greeted with cheers and utmost joy by his fellow teammates when he was given the green-light at training to resume training after almost a full-year on out of the line-up.
His coach, Nathan Buckley with a smile on his face and with a sense of pride, confirmed his return in a media conference, speaking proudly about his recovery and exceptional mental fortitude to come back from yet another ACL injury.
The South Australian native was drafted with pick No. 6 in the 2013 National Draft but was sidelined for the majority of 2014 due to bone-stress reactions in both of his feet before tearing his ACL late in the year during a VFL match.
He returned in 2015 and debuted late in the season against Melbourne before playing four games to round out the season.
However after signing a new deal, his 2016 was over before it started when he tore his ACL during pre-season training and only returned in Round 10 of 2017 where he was able to string together 10 games of football, including some impressive end-of-season displays.
The 23-year-old looked all but set to have put behind his troublesome knee injuries after stringing together 17 games in 2018, which included him playing some of his best football in an unfamiliar role at centre half-back.
But tragedy struck yet again, with Scharenberg tearing his ACL in an innocuous incident against Richmond late in the season, which incredibly was the forgotten moment seconds prior to the controversial Jack Higgins Goal of the Year.
Scharenberg showed elite ball use and exceptional composure when given the opportunity last season – averaging close to 20 disposals a game, six marks and using the ball at 86 per cent disposal efficiency, which at one point had him categorised as elite.
During that run, he only had one game below 75 per cent efficiency which came in wet-weather conditions at Adelaide on the road and had four games of going at 100 per cent efficiency.
This was all while playing as the second-tall in a depleted, injury-hit backline which missed the likes of Lynden Dunn, Darcy Moore and Ben Reid for prolonged periods last season.
After being struck down by the ACL injury, Collingwood’s defence never was able to fully recover heading into the finals.
Jack Madgen was thrust in during the last four games of the season, Tom Langdon went from playing as a rebound defender to the second-tall and Tyson Goldsack miraculously returned to play an unfamiliar role at full-back in the finals.
The Magpies, sorely missed ‘Shaz’ in the finals - especially in those games against West Coast where Collingwood’s defence was struggling to cope with the likes of Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling - along with his composure and ball-skills out of defence in key moments.
What is most appealing about his game is his ability to use the ball in high octane moments of high-pressure games – in the same vein as his captain Scott Pendlebury.
He showed a lot as a key defender, but this season, Collingwood will have a chance to further utilise his best weapon as rebounding half-back who is willing to take the game on and provide serious danger coming out of defence.
With Moore playing at an All-Australian level and Jordan Roughead proving to be an inspiring recruit from the Bulldogs along with Jeremy Howe and Tom Langdon taking up key posts – Scharenberg will have more room to roam than he has previously in his career.
Having those positions filled, Scharenberg would be able to take his game to where he plays his best footy – off half-back.
Furthermore, being able to build on his impressive fitness regime during his recovery has seen him beat his personal best in the two-kilometre run and maximum sprint.
Scharenberg playing alongside booming rebounding defenders Jack Crisp and Brayden Maynard would give Collingwood some serious firepower coming off half-back, providing a scary prospect for opposition clubs.
Saying he gets through a few games in the VFL, building match-fitness and getting himself accustomed to the rigours of weekly football once again – his return would come post-bye around Round 15-16 giving him at least eight to nine games of football before the finals.
With games against some of the elite teams in the competition coming thick and fast after the bye, his return couldn’t be more timely as the Magpies look to build towards their best 22 in the latter months of the season.
However, the question remains as to whether Buckley will pull the trigger with Scharenberg given the form of veteran Levi Greenwood and preferred option as of late James Aish who have filled in well during his absence, especially in the last season's finals campaign.
This would force Scharenberg to not just build match-fitness but also show exceptional form to break into the Magpies' line-up as he looks to once again stamp himself as one of the best ball-users in the competition.
Described as "the best school-boy footballer since Wayne Carey" by Mark Williams shows the calibre and the potential he has to become a key part of the Magpies' defensive midfield setup.
We wish him all the best against Port Melbourne this weekend.
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