Stefan Martin has been limited to just one senior match since Round 4 of 2013, with a combination of hamstring, ankle and back injuries severely hampering his first 18 months at the Brisbane Lions.

In fact, Martin has almost spent more time in rehab at the Hyundai Centre than he has with his Lions teammates out on the training track.

But his long road back couldn’t have come at a better time, with the Lions in desperate need of a ruckman following long-term injuries to Matthew Leuenberger and now Trent West.

Martin is thrilled to finally have an opportunity to play at senior level after overcoming so many setbacks.

“To be honest, I lost a bit of confidence in my hamstrings and had the thought that I’m not going to keep doing this forever but I feel like myself and the physios are top of things now,” Martin told The Courier Mail on Friday.

“It’s felt like one injury after another so it’s a really cool thing to be able to compete again instead of swimming laps.

“I always held out hope and did everything I could in rehab so I’m excited to be playing after so much time out of footy.

“It will be a big challenge against (opposing Western Bulldogs ruckman) Will Minson and it’s come a bit sooner than I expected but it’s a great opportunity for me.

Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch told media on Friday that Martin was ready for the challenge.

“He’s great. He’s up for it and ready to go,” Leppitsch said.

“I think he watched (Will) Minson’s tape on Sunday night. He sort of knew that he was the next man in line.”