One of the more dramatic stories this year in footy will come to a head on Sunday when Jarryn Geary runs out in Shanghai.
The St Kilda skipper will return to the playing field just 44 days after being rushed to hospital following a horrific cork to his right thigh.
Geary will be worlds away from the local footy cauldron, with St Kilda taking on Port Adelaide in China.
Regardless of game location, the 30-year-old's mission to get there has been played out in the public and media, amplifying just how special his effort was in making a swift return.
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Geary was sliced open in emergency surgery at Epworth Hospital just hours after he copped a knock from Melbourne's Jayden Hunt. Geary stayed on the field, but when he got home following his side's win, everything went downhill quickly, with compartment syndrome the diagnosis.
Three surgeries later, and Geary was stuck in a hospital bed for five days as blood was drained by a VAC dressing. All up, he needed 30 staples and 19 stitches to patch up an almighty hole, a photo of which circulated around social media.
Afterwards, Saints coach Alan Richardson was taken aback by the severity of the injury, and at the time, wouldn't have expected Geary to make such a rapid recovery.
"I've heard of the injury before and I’ve seen photos, but not as big as that," Richardson said last month.
“It's a really significant injury... but we're now relatively optimistic that after a period of letting it heal, and then re-training and seeing how it responds.
"He's a chance to be coming back and playing footy."
Geary is more than a chance - he's back.
He needed to be patient, but he was raring to go. First, came walking. Then, the exercise bike.
Suddenly, he was jogging laps at Moorabbin, before he was running and then training with teammates.
On Friday, as the Saints did some match simulation work, Geary waltzed though the session.
At Jiangwan Stadium, he'll be all guns blazing for four premiership points as the Saints battle to keep in touch with the top eight.
Michael Willson, the photographer behind the iconic Tayla Harris shot, snapped Geary in Shanghai.
Posing comfortably for Willson, Geary was happy to flaunt the gruesome scars left behind by the surgery.
Just 44 days after 3 surgeries, 30 stitches and 19 staples from 1 horrific corkie, @StKildaFC Skipper Jarryn Geary will make a remarkable return to the field on Sunday against Port Adelaide in #Shanghai #AFLSaintsPower pic.twitter.com/lUtCiJE8dD
— Michael Willson (@MichaelCWillson) June 1, 2019
The foot-long scar, as well as the marks left behind by the staples and stitches, will serve as a permanent reminder to Geary of how tough footy can be.
For everyone else, it'll serve as a reminder of how tough Geary can be - not that he wanted the attention.
However, having Willson snap the photo removes all the ambiguity for fans, with Geary to be bandaged for Sunday's game.
"I've had a fair few requests about pulling down my pants and giving people a look, which hasn't been great," he told AFL.com.au.
"I think at some stage I'm just going to have to get a photo out there and everyone can see it, and then they can see it."
