Influential forward Brooke Lochland made a successful return from injury in the Western Bulldogs AFLW clash with Fremantle on Sunday. 

Lochland, who led the Club’s goal-kicking tally in 2018, missed the first four rounds after sustaining a fractured fibula during pre-season.

But she was back with a bang, kicking a goal and collecting 10 disposals to be among the Bulldogs’ best in their 18-point loss.

“It definitely was exciting to be able to pull on the red, white and blue jumper again with the girls,” Lochland said post-game.

“It’s been a bit of a challenge for me getting back out there, but there’s nothing like playing with your mates.

“Obviously not the result we wanted, but we’re looking forward to next week and there’s some great signs from today.

“We’ll review, and Wednesday night we’ll get out there on the track and really improve for the next game.”

Lochland wasn’t the only Dog to make a comeback on Sunday – with Izzy Huntington making a comeback after sustaining an ACL injury early in the 2018 season.

“We shared some special moments the whole week, knowing that we were both putting our hands up to get back out there,” Lochland said.

“The group are all really proud of her. You saw that when she got her goal, we got around her and she just means so much to all of us.”