Two-time Hampden league premiership star Tim McIntyre is making the most of the time he has left in the game after a two-year hiatus from playing football.
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The 35-year-old, who won back-to-back flags and best-and-fairest awards with Koroit in 2017-18, has joined Mininera and District league club Woorndoo-Mortlake.
He last played football during the shortened 2021 HFNL season for the Saints.
The 35-year-old former Adelaide Crows senior player is two games into his comeback with the Tigers and is enjoying every moment.
"I love it, they're a really good bunch of blokes," he told The Standard.
"I'm really enjoying it at the minute. It's been good just being back out there playing.
McIntyre, who has a daughter soon to turn three, took a break from playing due to work and family commitments but now has more time on his hands.
The builder was lured back to the game by friend and Tigers playing-coach Isaac Templeton - a former Koroit teammate of his who won six HFNL flags with the Saints.
McIntyre said his body had been "pulling up well" so far and plans to play as many games as it allows this year.
He admitted he "definitely missed" football during his time away and is looking forward to the twilight years of his career.
"Footy's been pretty much everything since I've been young and then all of a sudden with work and family commitments it came to a full stop," he said.
"It was a little bit challenging and something I had to get my head around a little bit obviously with preparing each week and that was all different.
"And running around on the weekend, working and with a little one, It was a little bit of an adjustment. Good to be back running around now, I'm sort of not putting any time on when I finish up.
"I'm 35, if I can play a few games here and there over the next few years and enjoy that last little bit as you'd call it (that would be ideal)."
McIntyre, mixing between a high half-forward who can push deep when required, has started the season strongly with six goals, including a bag of five against Great Western on debut.
The Tigers sit third on the ladder after five rounds, with the former AFL Crow hoping they can contend come the pointy end of the campaign.
"From all reports we should go pretty close to playing deep in the finals," he said.
"They've retained most of their list and added a few more... Hopefully we can push high in finals."
Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
