Jimmy Bartel has returned to competitive football in style, getting through unscathed against Casey on Saturday.

Whilst disappointed with the team’s result, the Cats went down by 48 points,  Bartel was happy to get through the match unscathed and have a solid performance.

“I’m pretty competitive and want to win every game, so I’m still flat that we lost but happy I got through unscathed.” he said.

“(The knee) feels great, it was probably just the stiffness and working out that leg that I haven’t used in ten weeks, so just blowing out the rust I guess.”

The cancellation of Geelong’s AFL match following the tragic passing of Phil Walsh saw Bartel come back through the VFL rather than the AFL, but the premiership star said the level of competition did not alter his mindset. He finished with 28 disposals, five marks, six tackles, seven clearances and game-high 11 rebound 50s.

“I think I was just so keen to play football, I was happy to play anywhere and it was really exciting to play with a lot of our younger guys.” Bartel said.

Bartel is expected to line-up for the Cats in the AFL next Saturday night against North Melbourne.