COMEBACK Cat Nakia Cockatoo says he was untroubled by his body in his first competitive game of football in over 12 months.

The 22-year-old tallied six disposals, five tackles and three clearances in a half of football in his return game.

“I didn’t have any problems (with the knee) at all,” Cockatoo told krockfootball.com.au.

“I couldn’t feel it, just worried about my game and stuck to that.”

Cockatoo didn’t take long to make an impact, laying a bone-crunching tackle on 105kg Borough ruckman Michael Wenn in the opening minute of the match.

The fifth-year Cat spent time through the midfield and looked not to have lost any of his explosive athleticism.

“It felt amazing getting back out there and playing the Geelong way again,” Cockatoo said.

“It was pretty congested, and the first 10 minutes was real hot, but I found a little groove there.

“I got a few handballs and a few kicks, so I was pretty happy with my performance today.

Cockatoo says he will focus on playing VFL football in the coming weeks, letting the big picture take care of itself.

 “There’s a bit of footy left, but I’ve just got to get back in there, get a few more kicks and see how the next two weeks goes,” Cockatoo said.

“It just comes back to how I recover now and make sure I’m doing everything right to get up for the next week.

“It’s been really hard work in the gym the last couple of months, and everything’s coming together now, which is nice.”

VFL coach Shane O’Bree said Cockatoo cuts an imposing figure out on the ground.

“He didn’t get a hell of a lot of the ball, but he’s a huge impact player with his intensity around the contest,” O’Bree said.

“The other guys felt a bit bigger and stronger with Cocky around the ball. He’s amazing with the impact he has without getting the ball a lot of the time.”