Indefatigable midfielder Mark Hutchings will tonight kick off his 2014 campaign when he resumes with his original WAFL club East Perth against South Fremantle.
It will be Hutchings' first game for the Royals since 2009 when he was rookie-listed by St Kilda, but did not play a senior game with the Saints in 2010 and then returned to WA to play with West Perth.
His WAFL form was outstanding with the Falcons, when he was runner-up in the Sandover Medal in 2011 which created an opportunity on the West Coast list, but with the alignment to East Perth coming to fruition this year, Hutchings will again don the black and blue.
It might present a strange feeling for the meticulous midfielder who was best on ground for West Perth in last year’s grand final against East Perth, earning the Simpson Medal.
Hutchings played nine senior matches with West Coast in his first season on the list and looked poised for early opportunities in this campaign before a back injury flared.
He was a shining light in the NAB Challenge series and appeared certain to earn the rewards for his attention to detail with his preparation.
Unfortunately, he has missed a month of football at the wrong end of the pre-season/early season, but will be ready to roll against South Fremantle at Fremantle Oval tonight.
While Hutchings will resume, hard-nosed teammate Simon Tunbridge will miss another week. He will today have surgery on a fractured nose he suffered in the round one contest with Peel Thunder.
