Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas has made a timely recovery from a concussion with the A-League side about to embark on a hectic schedule.
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Thomas was taken from the field on a stretcher in the second half of Saturday's 2-0 away loss to Newcastle after a heavy collision with the Jets' Andrew Nabbout.
The stopper was taken to a Newcastle hospital for assessment, but travelled home with his teammates on Sunday and has been cleared to play against the Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park on Friday night.
Thomas was in high spirits when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday, joking he was fine and looking forward to the start of the season.
"It was my first (concussion) and I came to pretty quickly after I hit the ground," a smiling Thomas said.
"But I'm all good.
"I did a few tests with the doc when we got back ... I'm feeling good and looking forward to Friday."
With eight rounds left in the home-and-away season, the Victory are fifth on the ladder ahead of their clash against the seventh-placed Roar.
Faced with a dogfight to make the A-League finals, the Victory also kick off their AFC Champions League campaign, starting with a home clash against Korean outfit Ulsan Hyundai next Tuesday.
Kevin Muscat's men will play five of their six group matches before the end of the A-League season, including taxing away clashes against Ulsan as well as Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale and Chinese Super League giants Shanghai SIPG.
"It's not as busy as the last few campaigns," Thomas said.
"We've got a few breaks between games ... but it's exciting.
"I think we'll see a few players in our team who haven't had a run yet this year.
"The stadiums over there are incredibly loud and the atmosphere is really intense, so we're looking forward to the challenge."
