Jack Henry made his long-awaited return to football in the round ten clash against Fremantle, following a re-occurring foot injury that reared its head during the pre-season.

In his 2023 debut, Henry swung forward to great success as he booted two goals from ten disposals to provide an offensive spark for the Cats.

Henry is no stranger to the forward half of the ground, proving to be a more than capable swingman with 22 goals from his 108-game career. The versatile St. Mary's product also shifted forward in his return from injury last year, famously slotting the match-winning goal against Richmond in his first game back.

Henry said the move forward was not necessarily a permanent one, but a change that he enjoyed in his return.

“I’m happy playing anywhere on the ground to be honest, it’s good fun being out there,” Henry said.

“Wherever the team needs me, I’m happy filling in that role. It was nice playing forward on the weekend, it’s good fun playing with guys like Hawkins and Cameron up there who are always helping me out.”

Henry found himself sidelined for nearly three months with a foot fracture, which he suffered during Geelong’s pre-season clash with Hawthorn.

The injury was similar to the one that Henry battled early in 2022, which saw him miss eight games before returning to be an integral part of the Cats’ premiership run.

Henry said that the cautious approach this time around ensured that he would be fully healthy and ready to go, on his return back into the Geelong team.

“It was a bit of a long journey," he said. 

"I had a pretty good pre-season this year, right up until the injury. Then I had another surgery, sort of started fresh after that and was a bit more optimistic this time.

"I just got back to work and I’ve come along pretty well. I had a pretty good last month, probably better than I expected. I feel good, I feel as strong in my foot as I have in a long time.”

Henry's return into the team ended up as a straight swap for his brother Ollie, who missed the Fremantle game after suffering a testicular rupture last week.

Jack and Ollie are yet to take the field together for Geelong this season, but the prospect is something that Jack is excited about heading forward.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it, but what can you do, that’s footy sometimes," he said. 

"I’m personally happy to be back, I’ve had to get myself right over however many weeks it was. Playing with Ollie would have been an added bonus, but I’m happy getting myself back to be honest.

"When we do play together, it’s going to be good fun.”

Henry also remained positive about Geelong’s season, believing that last year proved what the Cats were capable of when they hit top form.

“I think we’re in a pretty similar spot to last year," he said. 

"We’re just maintaining an optimistic outlook; we know we have things we can fix up.

There’s still a fair bit of the season to go.”