AFTER a punishing nine-month stint on the sidelines rehabilitating from a torn ACL, there was a moment of panic around Alberton Oval when Kane Farrell had to be assisted to his feet and off the ground by medical staff during Saturday’s SANFL game against South Adelaide.

Farrell suffered the nasty knee injury against Hawthorn last July and had tracked ahead of schedule throughout his rehab before being named to make his return against the Panthers at the weekend.

Entering the final minutes and with the game on the line, the 23-year-old threw his body over the ball to smother a shot on goal from close range.

The noise of the Magpies faithful was immense in the moment, but a hush came across the ground when he stayed down and then needed to be assisted from the field.

Three days on, Farrell can laugh as he reveals his body had cramped all over and there was no issue with his reconstructed right knee.

“Being my first game back and getting used to crashing into packs again takes a toll on your body when you haven’t played for a bit so I had a full-body cramp and couldn’t really move so I had to go off,” he smiled.

“But it’ll get easier over the next few weeks.”

The Magpies would go down by 10 points despite being in a winning position in the third quarter.

For his part, Farrell registered 17 disposals, three inside 50s and four tackles to go with two behinds on the scoreboard.

But just being out there again was a win after a trying period on the sidelines.

“I felt like a little kid again getting to go back out and play footy for the first time in a while,” he said.

“I know I was back earlier than expected but it felt long.

“I’m really thankful for all the help of the medical and rehab staff here plus it helps to have a body that heals quickly – maybe I have mum and dad to thank for that.”

Usually, an injury of the kind Farrell suffered would see athletes out of action for at least 12 months.

That he was ready to play in nine has been praised by coaches as a credit to his application in rehabilitation and willingness to work hard at training.

“It was a bit tough because I felt ready for a good month before I played,” the skilful left footer said of his time on the sidelines.

“It was hard for me and I probably made it hard for them to hold me back but it was good that they did because we got to make sure everything was proper and right so it was the right thing to do to hold on that extra bit.”

That extra wait also gave Farrell more confidence in his knee and ability to compete.

So confident was he and the coaching staff that he was thrown straight into the middle of the ground – a position he would like to make his own after making his name with 27 goals in 33 games as a forward or on the wing since his debut in 2018.

“I was pretty confident in my knee,” Farrell said. “I’d done all the work in the build-up in the few weeks before so while there were a few nerves at the start, once I got going it was all good in the end.

“I’ve put on a few kilos during my recovery so that has helped with my body work on the inside and I want to try to develop myself to play as an inside midfielder more in the AFL.

“It was good to get out there and play a majority inside. It was really good for my development.”