Sam Skinner can’t wait to put a testing twelve months behind him when he runs on tomorrow afternoon for the Brisbane Lions in his AFL debut.
The 20-year-old’s life has come full circle.
It was this time last year, in Round 19, when Skinner was set to make his AFL debut before he was cruelly struck.
In his last training session before the
“I’ve obviously had the last 10 or 11 months where I’ve been in rehab and then had a few weeks in the NEAFL. So it’s been a long process but I’m super happy that I’ve gotten here again,” Skinner said.
“It was pretty tough. In saying that, it was a good experience I guess because I have learned a bit from it, watching the game from a different point of view.”
Skinner now says his knee feels better than it has for the last few years, thanks to the Lions Athletic Development and Rehabilitation Coach, Selwyn Griffith.
This year he has played seven NEAFL games and kicked two goals last weekend in the side’s win over Redland.
When Senior Coach Chris Fagan told him on Thursday night he would come in for the injured Dan McStay he was shocked.
“I was a little bit surprised,” Skinner said.
Within 24 hours his Gippsland based friends and family quickly booked tickets to Perth to make sure they’d be there for this defining moment.
“Family and my mum and dad and my three brothers are coming up and I’ve got some good mates that are coming up as well and my girlfriend Charlotte,” Skinner said.
