A bulked-up Eric Hipwood will return from his second long lay-off noticeably stronger as the Brisbane Lions add the strings to their bow needed to sustain their push for a third-straight premiership.
The Lions forward has spent nine months rehabilitating post knee surgery after Hipwood discovered a partial tear in his surgically repaired anterior cruciate ligament while recovering from a separate calf injury.
The 28-year-old will return this weekend, either at AFL or VFL level - Brisbane play Richmond in Hobart on Sunday - after they ended a three-game losing streak with a vital win over Gold Coast on Saturday.
"I've seen great energy, awesome intent," Lions co-captain Harris Andrews said of Hipwood.
"He's alot stronger than what he was. He's a strong guy at the best of times but he's put on good size."
