ADELAIDE'S NAB Cup campaign may have been brief, but for many Crows fans the sight of Trent Hentschel roaming the forward 50 once again provided more satisfaction than a win over the Cats would have.

The 26-year-old has done it tough over the past two years as he struggled to come back from a devastating knee injury, but he felt confident he had cleared a significant hurdle on his way back to regular senior football on Saturday night.

"You definitely have thoughts along the way that you might not be able to get back, but it's a good feeling right now to have that one under my belt," Hentschel said.

"It was a pretty good feeling being out there with the boys. I would have liked a win and to play a bit better, but it's a good start."

Hentschel had a modest outing in terms of statistics, but that was never going to be the yardstick by which his return in the Adelaide colours would be measured.

He moved freely and showed glimpses of pre-injury form on the night including one contested mark and goal that had every teammate on the ground run to him to share the moment.

"Stevo (Scott Stevens) said he was stuffed after he came right the way down from full back, but it was a great feeling for me," Hentschel said.

"The boys getting around after that was a pretty good feeling and hopefully I can do it a few more times soon."

A solid pre-season and some games with SANFL club the Eagles last year allowed Hentschel to enter the match with a clear mind and banish any negative thoughts about his rebuilt right knee.

But as good as he felt about running out a full game, Hentschel maintains he won't feel like he's truly back until he earns selection for a match for premiership points.

"That will probably be the biggest tick in the box for me, but this is a small step in getting there and hopefully I can progress and get better in the next few weeks," he said.

"I've got a lot to improve on before then though. When you have a long-term injury you don't tend to set yourself too many long term goals.

"You've got to be a bit realistic with the goals that you do set, but at the same time I put no limits on myself or use the injury as an excuse at all.

"It was good to get through that and I'll look to back it up on the training track this week and go again."


Trent Hentschel is rated a $122,700 forward in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009.