Andrew Welsh had a tough year after suffering an horrific leg injury during a pre-season intra-club game in 2009. His recovery was quicker than everyone but the man himself expected and he still played 11 important, and sometimes excellent, games.
The fans' highlight of his year was the job he did on Chris Judd in his first match back.
The 26-year-old's hard working approach to come back and play good football was rewarded with a rating of 6.2/10. The club's new vice-captain is determined to have a solid pre-season and play a full year.
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2009
Games - 11
Goals - 2
Kicks - 100
Marks - 42
Handballs – 126

2009 Fan’s ranking 6.2 /10

2008
Games - 17
Goals - 9
Kicks - 165
Marks - 70
 Handballs - 130
 
2008 Fans' ranking 7.37/10
 
2007
Games - 17
Goals - 9
Kicks - 180
Marks - 101
Handballs - 108
 
2007 Fans' rankings 6.43/10
 
 
Here's what some of the Essendon fans had to say:
 
Good to see him back, form tapered off but expect a huge pre-season will bring him back to the sustained level of performance expected by both him and the supporters' (Brian Russell)

Ultimate professional-slotted straight back into side after such a serious leg injury. Nothing but respect and admiration for this guy. My choice as our new skipper (Gerard Arnel)

Had a couple of great games when he finally got on the park. A suspect that there were a few injuries creeping back into his game late in the season which didnt allow him to play his game to his full potential. A great leader who will need a big pre-season to kick start things for him in 2010 (Gareth Percey)

A magnificent season from Andrew Welsh. This was the man who suffered an horrific leg injury and was ruled out for most of the year, but he made a amazing recovery and immediately inserted himself as one of the crucial players in the bombers line up for 2009. His biggest highlight in 2009 was undoubtfully tagging Chris Judd and minisming his impact in the second Essendon vs Carlton game (Joseph Attard)

Obviously had a much delayed start to the season. His first game back was probably his best against Judd. I love the way he goes about his footy so I hope he can get back to his best as there is now a lot of pressure for midfield positions (Brett Gillow)

Impressive to come back so well from his bad injury, but obviously his season suffered due to the time out of the game. I'm sure he'll remind us all of how important he is come next year (Jan Di Pietro)

Good effort to come back from a broken leg. Unfortunately I think the broken leg held Andrew back when he returned to the side and he wasn't as effective as he normally was. Hopefully with a full pre-season under his belt, he can return to his best form. (John Harink)

Looking at his stats I was quite surprised how well he did for the year.. did not seem to have much impact in games... he must have had stopper roles which he must have done very well (Wally Mayski)

Pure dedication to get back from his injury and that alone deserves a high rating (Alan McCready)

A warrior as always. You are far from the most talented footballer at the club, but continue to be one of the most important. Well done and keep it up! (Kieran Rimmer)