Young forward Josh Begley has taken one step further in his rehabilitation process, emerging unscathed from Essendon VFL’s season opener on Sunday afternoon.

The 20-year-old, who tore his ACL during the first quarter of last year’s Anzac Day clash, managed 11 disposals, three tackles and two goals despite playing just the first half of the round one win against Frankston. 

“I was pretty cooked early on, but it was good to get a couple of touches, a couple of goals, and to tick that box off and take the next step,” Begley said. 

“It felt really good to be back out there with the boys, and good to see the game out and get through the first stage of being back.” 

Senior coach Dan Jordan was happy with Begley’s return and praised his impact.

“It was a nice introduction for him - there was plenty of ball in that forward half and I thought he competed hard early,” Jordan said.

“He looked a little bit off with his touch which is understandable, but I thought he brought the ball to ground well, competed hard at ground level and got a bit of reward in that second quarter when he kicked a couple of goals.

“He certainly played his role in that forward line, but I think he’d just be happy to get through, get some confidence and have an impact on the game which I thought he did.”

Essendon VFL will have a bye this weekend, before facing North Melbourne at Avalon Airport Oval in round three.

Begley said he’d increase his playing minutes against the Kangaroos.

“I’m looking to play about 75 per  of the game time in round three and then just build from there,” he said.

“My first full game back should be round four of the VFL, so I’ve just got two more boxes to tick and will then hopefully be fully back.”

Brooke Varney is in the final year of her Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree at RMIT University. As part of their strategic partnership, Essendon Football Club and RMIT University are committed to providing opportunities for students, staff, players and the wider community.