Adelaide defender Mark Keane says his long-awaited AFL return this weekend will mark the end of a gruelling and sometimes doubt-filled rehab chapter, but also the beginning of a fresh start to his career.

The Irish backman has been named in the Crows’ side for their clash against Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, four months after suffering a significant lower leg injury.

Speaking to AFC Media, Keane said the injury, which left him unable to walk for a period of time, also made him question whether he would return to the highest level.

Once the doubt was overcome, however, Keane was diligent with his rehab and did everything he could to get back to playing the game he loved again.

Now, it’s set to pay dividends.

“Absolutely it means a lot to be running back out at AFL level, because when my injury happened, I couldn't even walk,” Keane said.

“You always do second guess things and think, ‘am I ever going to get back?’, so going from not even being able to walk to being back at the highest level means a lot.

“I've come over here to be a professional athlete, I don't have any family here as such, I think I just put all my eggs into one basket, and that's just to get back playing.

“Effectively that's what I'm here from Ireland to do, to play for the Adelaide Crows.

“I feel like I put a lot of work into it over the past 16-17 weeks, so I'm pretty happy with where my body is at. Hopefully it can hold up now for the rest of the season.”

The road back to consistency and confidence

Last year, before injuring his leg, Keane had cemented himself as one of the most important cogs in the Crows’ backline playing all 25 games and averaging 5.3 spoils, 4.9 pressure acts, and 14.9 disposals at 79.8 per cent efficiency.

Keane said the hard work was not going to stop with his inclusion in this weekend’s team, and he was striving to get back to his best.

“I’m focused on getting back to my best, and doing what I’m good at, which is aerial work, using my kicking skills, and leadership on the field as well,” Keane said.

“I haven't been out there for a long time, but just getting back in and getting that trust and being a beacon down back and getting back to where I was last year, and even this year within pre-season, will be the goals.”

State League games help build form and confidence

Keane’s inclusion comes off the back of two strong games in the SANFL, where he successfully navigated a return to footy.

Against South Adelaide a fortnight ago, which was his first game back, the 26-year-old finished with 17 disposals, six marks, and four defensive rebounds.

Last weekend, in the one-point loss against North Adelaide, Keane amassed 19 possessions, four marks and six defensive rebounds.

“I probably wasn't nervous going back into the SANFL game, just purely because we had the bye the week before, and I was able to get some match play in there and had a few knocks on it and hits on it during that time, so I was well prepared going into the game,” Keane said. 

“I haven't really had an injury like this before, so to be out for such a long period of time, kind of makes you realise how much you do miss it when you are away from it. I won't take that for granted.

“The two SANFL games were the perfect way for me to get back into it for match fitness and a bit of confidence in the leg.”

Support and perspective during a difficult personal period

Away from footy, Keane has gone through a difficult period with the passing of his brother, Vinny, earlier this year.

Keane returned to Ireland to be with his family during the tough time, and said he couldn’t thank the Club and football community for their support.

“It was good to get back home and be with the family in that tough period, I couldn't imagine what it would have been like if I wasn't able to get home,” Keane said.

“I am very thankful for the Club allowing and supporting me getting back home and spending that time with the family.

“I am very grateful that the players wore black armbands against Richmond in memory of him, he would have been absolutely delighted with that.”

Finding a sense of home with Aussie Irish community

The backman has also leant on the support of fellow Irish in Adelaide, including Crows AFLW players Niamh and Grace Kelly, Amy Boyle Carr, and Kayleigh Cronin.

He has also befriended Geelong’s Oisín Mullin and Mark O’Connor, having them over for dinner when they were in Adelaide before the Crows faced the Cats earlier this month.

“It's a huge support having them here, there’s not many Irish people here in Adelaide, so it's good to have that support here,” Keane said.

“I’m friends with Niamh’s partner Darragh, so it’s good just to chat about stuff back home and relate to stuff back home when you're kind of just sucked into the AFL bubble here. 

“Before we played Geelong here, my partner, Caoimhe, cooked up a lovely dinner and we had Niamh, Grace, Amy, Darragh, Oisín Mullin and Mark O’Connor come over.

 “I don't even think we spoke about AFL much, just talked about back home and about Gaelic football.”

Although Keane’s Irish roots still run deep, he’s also become an honorary Aussie, supporting the Soccerroos in their World Cup run.

“I am a big, big soccer fan, and love watching the World Cup,” Keane said.

“I went to Memorial Drive to watch the game against Türkiye, I just thought that I might go and see what the Australian fans have got to offer. 

“Since Ireland isn’t in the World cup, I’ve now become an Australian Socceroos fan.

“It was a great win from the Socceroos, I wasn’t expecting that, but it was a great win by the team.”

The Crows face the Demons at Adelaide Oval this Saturday at 12.45pm.

To see the full Round 15 team, click here.

For more information on what’s happening pre, during and post-game, head to our match day hub here.

Tickets available here.