I was definitely against including him for this game, and was strongly of the opinion that one or two games in the VFL would be the best path back. As it turns out - not a bad game, no injury, a 60m bomb, another goal, lots of fun and smiles, and ready for Anzac Day. I was wrong.
I think after a dreadful 2018 the competition has forgotten how good he is. With him moving freely and getting confidence they will be reminded in the second half of the season.
Don’t think there has to be a right or wrong here. There were a number of ways to bring Joey back. Good reasons to play him through the VFL rather than AFL. That may have been the better way to have done it. But circumstances meant he played on Friday. He got through it physically ok and got some good touch.
Nah, hindsight has shown they were right to bring him back through the AFL.
We won the game. We won it easily, and so he only had to go as hard as he wanted to. No harm caused to either himself or to the team.
I’d still bring the next player back through the VFL. I am a big advocate of not having players play AFL until they are match fit. But in this case, no harm was caused, so the move has put us in a better position.