Rohan’s return came 448 days after he suffered a horrific leg break at the same venue in round four last season and the early-arriving SCG crowd were on their feet when the Swans’ number 16 ran out on field in the second half of the Swans reserves clash with UWS.
Rohan told SwansTV’s Beyond the Boundary, powered by Volkswagen team he felt a combination of emotions before he took the field early in the third quarter on Sunday.
“It was nerve-wracking and I couldn’t sit still,” Rohan said.
“I was running up and down the boundary and I was yelling at Crouchy (Swans reserves coach Jared Crouch) to get me on.
“He started me on the bench in the third, so I was filthy about that because I just wanted to get out there!”
Click the video player above to watch Gary Rohan's return to the field, plus interviews with Rohan, Crouch and Shaw
Rohan was eased back into his return to football, and sat out the first half of Sunday morning’s NEAFL game on the interchange bench.
Rohan was permitted to arrive later than his team mates before the match and watched the team’s pre-match warm-up from the race before warming up one-on-one with a Swans Head Conditioning Coach, Rob Spurrs.
Crouch said the club wanted to give the Rohan the right physical and mental preparation for his return to football after such a long stint out of the game.
“It is his first game back so we’re going to ease him back into the game with 30-to-40 minutes of total game time,” he said.
“It is an early start so we want to make sure we give Gary every opportunity to tick his first game off and then build from there.
“I actually told him that he didn’t have to rock up at 7:30am like the other boys, so he’s just sort of got here at 9:00am and he can do his warm-up at half-time
“I have no doubt he had a sleepless night and he’d be an emotion of nervousness and excitement all in one.”
Rohan joined the team for the first time down in the rooms at half-time, when his name was written on the match-up board by Crouch for the first time since April last year.
After a quick word with senior coach John Longmire and a line meeting with development coach Nick Davis, Rohan ran out alongside his reserves team mates before being given the green light to take the field in the third term.
“It was awesome to run out with a bit of a cheer, which was good,” Rohan said.
“It was just a great thrill to be back out there and I kicked a couple of goals, and it was a good start.
Rohan finished the match with 10 possessions, three marks and two goals, and showed he had lost none of the scintillating pace that had made him a crowd favourite since he arrived at the club at the end of 2009.
Rohan also had the opportunity to celebrate his return with good friend, mentor and team mate Rhyce Shaw, who was the Swans runner for the match.
Shaw, who has also battled injury this season, said he couldn’t be prouder of Rohan’s effort to make it back to the field this year.
“It’s been 18-to-19 months now and he’s had some really massive ups and downs and the way he’s come through it and the way he’s worked has been fantastic,” Shaw said.
“It’s a credit to himself and you can’t ask more from a kid who has gone through such a horrific injury to do as much as he has and to get to where he is is just a great effort.
“I’m really close with Gazza and I just love the kid and I wish him all the best.
“I’m just so proud of him because it’s been a really hard thing for him to go through, not just physically but mentally as well and he’s come through it and the Rooster is up and about today.”
