After a grueling ten months on the sidelines Hamish McIntosh made his long awaited return to football on Sunday for Werribee in the VFL.

Nerves didn’t get the better of the 26 year-old who played most of the game up forward with a successful 14 possessions, 17 hit-outs and a goal in the last quarter.

“I felt a bit rusty early but as the game went on I got more of the ball and I couldn’t have expected much more than that in my first game back,” McIntosh told kangaroos.com.au after the game.

“I’ve missed footy incredibly so it was great to get back out there amongst the boys and enjoy having a kick. Hopefully I can keep building on my form and hopefully get back into the seniors in the not too distant future.”

Werribee coach Paul Satterley was impressed with McIntosh’s hard work in his highly anticipated return.

“Hamish definitely did well in his first game back. We’re really pleased with the mark he took in the last quarter,” Satterley said.

“He will be a great asset to us in the next few weeks before he gets called back up to the seniors. There’s no doubt today was only a sign that he’s only going to get better and better.”

See below for Paul Satterley's in-depth look at how each of North Melbourne’s listed players fared in the VFL:

Ben McKinley - 23 possessions, five goals
“Ben kicked five goals but it wasn’t just about the ones he kicked, he also contributed to others kicking goals and he had a hand in a number of scoring assists. Overall it was a really good day for Ben and he’s in terrific form."

Majak Daw - 14 possessions, 24 hit-outs
“Majak was in our best two today, probably the best game he’s played for us all year. He competed and threw his body into positions he probably shouldn’t have. He’s a quality young player and I’m absolutely wrapt with him.”

Ben Ross - 16 possessions, two goals
“Ben was really pleasing today, we saw a lot of run and carry and the contested side of his game. He has a good ability to keep his feet and stay involved throughout the game. We started to see more of that good form which we saw earlier in the year from him.”

Robbie Tarrant - Eight possessions
“Robbie played up forward and persisted all day. The numbers probably suggest he didn’t have a great day but at no stage did he drop off in his work rate. He ended up kicking a goal in the last quarter so it was reflective of his ability to stay involved and stick at it.”

Ben Speight - 17 possessions
“Ben was in and out of the game a little bit. His pace and what he brings to the table is really important for us. He had a solid day without being outstanding.”

Ben Warren - 15 possessions, two goals
“Ben had a player on him who wouldn’t leave his side, on the back of kicking six goals the other week. Ben was persistent, he presented all day and I was pleased with his game overall. He really gave us someone to kick to and he didn’t drop off for a second.”

Gavin Urquhart - 20 possessions
“Gavin's use of the footy is something we rate very highly and he was involved in a lot of the switch of play and being able to pick out those spare players for us and hit those targets which was really important. He definitely contributed to the win.”

Matthew Scott - Nine possessions, one goal
“Matthew Scott hurt his knee which was very unfortunate because he was playing so well. He had nine possessions and kicked a goal in the first quarter so it was really disappointing for Matt who was looking really good in his early performance.”

Werribee Tigers 4.5  5.6  11.8  19.13 (127)
Coburg Tigers 2.3  6.4  9.6  12.8 (80)

GOALS:
Werribee Tigers: Castello 5 McKinley 5 Ross 2 Warren 2 McIntosh Gleeson Tuck Tarrant
Coburg Tigers: Morton 3 Murphy 2 Daniels Carnell Jakobi Lynch Jordan Clifton Dahl

BEST:
Werribee Tigers: Tighe Daw O'Dwyer McKinley Sharp Gleeson
Coburg Tigers: Tuck Jakobi Post Power Morton Murphy