It’s been a while between drinks for Noah Answerth.

Having been a standout in the Lions recent match simulations, it seems ‘Noz’ has finally gotten his body right after a frustrating two years with injury.

Speaking to the Roar Deal, Answerth admits he’s noticed himself mature along the journey.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been out there, and I’ve grown up a fair bit since I first got injured. The last time I got to play for four points was in 2020 in Round 17 against Sydney, so it’s been a while.”

Sidelined for the majority of the 2021 season with lingering groin injuries, the 22-year-old sought the advice of a former Lion and West Coast Eagles midfielder, Elliot Yeo, for advice.

“I’d run 10km sessions and then it would just overload and I’d quickly go backwards because of it. So that happened three times,” he said.

“I ended up chatting to Elliot Yeo and a few other contacts and took it into my own hands a bit. I learnt a lot from it that will help me in the future.”

After the third set back, Answerth said there were moments where he thought he might not be destined for the career he’d always dreamt of.

“It took a fair bit of a toll looking back on it. I’ve been lucky with great support staff and I leant on Darcy Gardiner a lot when he was in rehab with his shoulder.

“I did a lot of study which helped fill some time, but feeling okay and then seeing the decline, I thought ‘maybe I won’t play as long as I think, it won’t be the dream career that others get.’”

However, Head Coach Chris Fagan has been the physical defenders biggest supporter through the journey, often commenting in press conferences that a fit Answerth is a crucial part of his best 22.

“Fages’ faith in me has been massive. It gave me a lot of hope and was a main push to get back. I’m a pretty motivated person, but when you’ve got that hope that you can come back and have an impact in the team, it drives you.

“I want to win a flag with Brisbane and sometimes I lack that faith in myself to contribute at AFL level but having the coaches support has been really important."

Answerth has been a stand-out in Brisbane’s match simulations over the last couple of weeks, showcasing his grunt and rebound off half-back.

Although, he humorously confessed that he’s still wrapping his head around some of the new rules that have come into place since he last played.

“Having not played footy for a little while, I still haven’t quite gotten used to the new rules. The stand rule is a new thing I’m still getting used to. But being back out there, I’m just having a lot of fun and hopefully I can keep going.”

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