717 days after his last AFL game, Eagles forward Willie Rioli is set to make his return.
The premiership star will line up for West Coast this weekend as they face Brisbane to conclude the home and away season.
The match is a must-win for the Eagles, who will need several other results to go their way in order to book their place in this year's finals series.
Rioli has not featured for the Eagles since 2019 after being suspended by the league for tampering with a urine sample during a drug test.
The 26-year-old made a return to training earlier this year and is now available for selection.
In a video announcement via the club's website, Rioli expressed his gratitude in being able to make his return after such a long time.
โItโs been a long, long journey back but Iโm grateful,โ Rioli said.
โI get nervous before every game. I guess this will be more a relief for me. It will probably be surreal to me also.
โIt will mean a lot, not only to me, but my family who have been through these hard times with me. It will mean the world.
โItโs been mentally challenging. Luckily enough, I had great family support back home. I guess waiting for the outcome was the hardest part, not knowing what my future was looking like.
โ(Club support) was really important. They kept my dream alive of playing AFL football again. Everyone around the club stuck by me and believed in me.โ
