Linc McCarthy is eyeing a shock return to the Brisbane Lions’ senior side before season’s end, just five months after rupturing his ACL for the second time in a year.
The 31-year-old forward, who re-injured his knee in March following a similar setback in 2023, has taken an unconventional path to recovery, swapping the standard hamstring tendon graft for a patella tendon option in a bid to return faster.
Now, with Brisbane pushing for another deep finals run, McCarthy’s comeback is no longer a fantasy.
“He’s definitely ramping up his training, and he joined in some skills the other day, and I thought ‘that’s happened quickly’, but he’s going along OK at the moment,” Lions coach Chris Fagan said.
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‘You’re crazy, but I don’t want to stop him’
With his contract expiring at season’s end, McCarthy is doing everything he can to pull on the Lions guernsey again, and maybe even feature in a grand final.
“It’s a day-by-day, week-by-week thing, but he’s trying to give himself the best chance to get back and be available if we are good enough to make finals,” Fagan said.
“He’s incredibly desperate. That’s why he’s doing it. I look at him and think ‘you’re crazy’, but he wants to try, and I don’t want to stop him.”
McCarthy’s return would boost Brisbane’s already potent forward line, especially with Zac Bailey suspended and Noah Answerth ruled out for the season with an Achilles rupture.
Tall forward Sam Day is in line to return for Friday night’s clash against the Western Bulldogs, though Keidean Coleman will continue in the reserves as he builds match fitness.
Brisbane, currently second on the ladder, could deal a blow to the Bulldogs’ finals hopes with a win.