The new year has begun and Geelong captain Joel Selwood is right where he wants to be.

The 28-year-old struggled through the summer months this time last year as he battled a significant foot injury.

He was forced to prove his fitness at VFL level in a single practice match just days before round one – but speaking to the Geelong Advertiser, Selwood says there’s nothing holding him back some 12 months later.

“It’s good to be out there with the boys,” Selwood told the Geelong Advertiser.

“Now it’s just about making sure the body’s right, getting through each session and doing well.”

Having Selwood in full training is worth its weight in gold for the playing group, but there’s even better news ahead with further senior players making their return.

“I’m feeling good at the moment. Most of the group are. We get Hawk [Tom Hawkins] back this week and a couple of others will come back over the next couple of weeks.”

“We’ve had a couple of tough days during the week … the boys are as good as what we want them to be at this time of year.”

“But we’ve got some work to do before we get to the first pre-season game.”

Meanwhile, senior coach Chris Scott has also returned to Simonds Stadium following compassionate leave to deal with the death of his younger brother.

“It is good, he’s back at training now, and it was good for him to have some time away, to freshen up and to look after himself,” Selwood said.

“It’s hard in this game to sometimes find that time and we were able to give that to him and I think he really respected that.”