The Brisbane Lions’ first home game at the Gabba this Saturday will mark the end of a long road back for Allen Christensen.

For nearly two years he has sat on the sidelines with 98 games next to his name. Against the Demons, he will finally reach his 100th game in his eighth AFL season.

“I’ve been sitting on 98 games for a fair while now. So I’ve had a while to think about it and that,” Christensen told lions.com.au.  

“It’s been pretty tough. The last 20 months since that Carlton game when I broke the collarbone for the first time.”

It was Round 11, 2016, when the speedy forward broke his collarbone for the first time. Just over a year later, after a lengthy rehabilitation process, he returned and played in an NEAFL match.

Scans the next week revealed he had broken the plate in the collarbone. There was nothing he could do except wait and he would miss the entire 2017 season.

It was hard pill for Christensen to swallow.

He had been traded to the Club from Geelong in late 2014 and was optimistic of what he could bring to the Lions.

“They probably took me at a time where there was a little bit of controversy around why I came here and that sort of stuff,” he said.

“I’m forever thankful that the Club and Geelong were able to get that trade done and I was able to settle in to a new life and lifestyle here.”

The Cats’ history had meant a lot to Christensen. He grew up in Lara, just outside of Geelong, and two of his Uncles had played for the blue and white stripes.

“Playing at Geelong, I grew up there, went to school there. It was an honour to be drafted by them. The five years I was there, I really enjoyed, I loved playing, I loved the passion of the fans,” Christensen said.

He played in the 2011 premiership team and received a Rising Star nomination.

“That’s what every player wants to do and to be able to do that in my 19th game of footy was awesome and something I’ll never take for granted,” he said.

The best part of that experience for him was calling some of the game’s most notable players teammates.  

“As a younger player growing up and learning the game, knowing that if you had a bad game, there was going to be a Steve Johnson or a Jimmy Bartel who’s going to pull something out of their backside that might win us the game.”

It’s those players and their behaviour on and off the field Christensen aspires to emulate at the Lions. For the part two years he has been part of the Club’s leadership group.

“The way we conduct ourselves on field and off field is really important. You don’t always get it right and I’ve found that out in personal experiences,” he said.

February’s AFLX tournament in Sydney marked Christensen’s long-awaited return to elite football.

He was back for the first time in nearly two years and had the honour of captaining the side.

“I was probably more nervous about captaining the side to be honest,” he said.

“It’s such an honour to wear this jumper and the history it has. It doesn’t matter if it’s a JLT game or an AFLX game. To captain a Club is such a massive honour. I sort of didn’t want to let anyone down.

“The thing with me is I’m just trying to make my family proud.

“Whether it be my Dad’s side or my family on the Tiwi Islands in Darwin and having them little kids run around up there and knowing that I’m playing AFL Footy and that gives them something to aspire to.”

At Saturday’s milestone match against the Dees, Christensen wants to alleviate any pressure and simply enjoy the moment.

“In the 2018 season I’m looking for some continuity in my body and getting out there and just having fun again,” he said.

“I think growing up and my first four or five years I put so much pressure on myself to deliver in such a footy bubble, I sort of lost the fun out of it. Hopefully this year I can have some fun.”