Western Bullldogs skipper Robert Murphy will be just another face sweating under the summer sun when he returns for his 18th pre-season with the Club next week.
Murphy suffered a ruptured ACL against Hawthorn in April, but will return to training with minimal restrictions according to Bulldogs Football Manager Chris Grant.
“He is already training,” Grant told the Herald Sun.
“We start officially on the fifth and he will be ready to go with most of the stuff.’
Murphy has been running since July, telling Fox Footy at the time it was a ‘joyful’ experience to get back on the track.
"Yeah, I did. I had a run, which has taken about 14 weeks but I had a trot, so I'm out of the blocks," he said.
"I was trying to downplay it … but as soon as I started running, it was a joyful run."
But it’s not just the skipper himself who’s looking forward to getting back out there, his teammates are just as eager to see him by their side according to Grant.
“They are really looking forward to it. For him it’s been a long six months and for them they can’t wait for him to be a part of it again,’’ he said.
“He doesn’t have it hanging over his head again so he is just part of that group again.”
Only Easton Wood, Easton Wood (ankle reconstruction) and Tom Boyd (shoulder reconstruction) with Mitch Wallis (broken leg) and Jack Redpath (ACL)