Luke Carman returns for Holbrook after missing 2022 season

The 27-year-old spent time in a Melbourne hospital but is now on the road back to full fitness and can't wait to rejoin the Brookers for the defence of their Hume League premiership.

Carman, who came through the club's junior ranks, admitted it was tough to watch from the sidelines as Matt Sharp's side made history by finally toppling Osborne in the grand final at Walbundrie.

But after his sporting plans for the year were dashed by health issues which started back in February, the well-respected backman is thrilled to now be in a position where he can start to put footy back on the calendar.

"I'm pretty excited about it actually," Carman said.

"It's been a while and it was tough to watch last year so we'll see how things get moving again, over Christmas, and make sure everything's going smoothly - but I'm keen to get back.

"It was frustrating, knowing I could have been out there.

"It would have been awesome to be out there.

"Hopefully we can do it all again because I know there were a few boys miss out this year, who were probably in a tougher position than me, having played all year and then missed out on the last day."

Holbrook assistant coach Andrew Mackinlay can't wait to see Carman and his younger brother Brad reunited in the green and gold.

"It will be excellent," Mackinlay said.

"When he said he couldn't play in February, we were a good defender down and to lose Brock Knights as well, in the months before that, it hurt us.

"All of a sudden, what was our strength the previous four or five years, our backline, became our Achilles heel a little bit so it'll be great to have him back.

"The last couple of years he was there, he turned into probably the leader of that back six and he was excellent, he marshalled the troops and turned into nearly the best intercept defender in the competition.

"He'll slot straight back into that back six and pick up from where he left off.

"His touch of the footy's always pretty good.

"He probably doesn't get the wraps some other players do but internally, he's respected extremely highly and he'll be great to have back."

It's been a mental battle as much as a physical one for Carman but he's now back at work and relishing the opportunity to be 'one of the boys' again.

"It was definitely hard not to be out there playing, just getting around the boys and having that banter," he said.

"I'm definitely not the most committed trainer but I'm always there, talking with all the boys and you feel involved, a bit of that mateship.

"When you're sitting on the outside, you're still involved but it's not the same.

"I got told to lay low for a couple of months by the doctors but I was always hoping to come back and play in 2022.

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"However, body-wise, I felt within myself not 100 percent so I wasn't going to over-do it.

"They were still working through things and getting everything right before I decided to go and put a strain on the body and get back to running around and getting fit.

"It's just about getting confidence back in my body again, that I know it's not going to shut down on me.

"You read about these sorts of things but you don't think it's going to happen to you, as cliche as that sounds.

"It was very out of the blue."

So does Carman, who made his senior debut back in 2013, believe he can get back to the level he was at before the year off?

"That's the unknown at the minute," he said.

"The boys had their first training run last Wednesday but I wasn't there.

"I'll ease into it and tick the legs over before Christmas, do a bit of my own stuff and see how I go before I get out and about and put full pressure, to make sure everything is going to work as it should.

"I've seen the highs and lows at Holbrook.

"I suppose 2013 was a successful year, we lost to Brock-Burrum (in the grand final) but then things dropped off pretty quickly after that.

"I've won the wooden spoon, I just haven't quite won a flag yet.

"They're in a good place now under Sharpy, he's got the boys all right behind him and they listen to everything he's got to say."

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