Jack Maibaum’s season had been destroyed by injury and he was delisted at the end of it, so being handed an AFL lifeline was sure to feel ever so sweet.

But never could he have imagined the rousing reception his teammates would give him after being redrafted as a rookie.

Although Maibaum was delisted by the Sydney Swans in October, the key defender was invited to pre-season training and was relisted via pick 19 at last Friday’s Rookie Draft.

The 21-year-old followed the draft on his computer at home and headed into the club for a weights session in the afternoon – and it was then that delirium erupted.

As footage released on social media showed, it looked like Maibaum had kicked his first goal in the AFL when he saw his teammates in the change rooms. 

“That was an amazing moment,” Maibaum said.

“It shows the level of care among all of us as teammates. They understood that I had had a really difficult year because of my injury and it was just a really nice moment. I was stoked to have been given another chance and they were all clearly rapt for me as well. I got swarmed by everyone, I was stoked, they were stoked and it was a great moment.”

Co-captain Luke Parker was the first to embrace Maibaum, while names like Dane Rampe, Sam Naismith, Will Hayward and Jordan Dawson were among the others in the thick of celebrations.

Maibaum had played strong footy in 2018 and had blitzed the 2019 pre-season campaign, but all hope of a breakthrough 2019 season was banished in a flash when he tore his ACL on the eve of the JLT Community Series.

Being delisted but invited to train then made for a whirlwind of uncertainty.

“There was about a month there where it was a rollercoaster of emotions,” Maibaum said.

“On some days you’d be feeling pretty good and pretty confident that you’d get another chance, but then on other days you feel hopeless and a little unsure of everything.

“I wanted to keep my training really consistent and at a good level, but it was a really tough period. 

“This year hasn’t been easy at all – I’ll tell you that much. Suffering the injury just before the pre-season games started was really tough. I knew I had done the work. I had put in the time and the effort over the entire pre-season. I hadn’t missed a session or a block of running or anything like that, and I felt really good and really confident and was playing good footy in match-simulation games, so to then be struck down by that isn’t easy. It’s hard and it challenges you mentally – that is for sure.”

Sydney originally recruited Maibaum from the Eastern Ranges with pick 45 at the 2016 AFL Draft.

The Victorian then signed a fresh one-year deal in October 2018, reward for impressing in his one-on-one battles with the NEAFL’s best key forwards and averaging 12.2 disposals and 4.2 marks per game in his 2018 campaign.

An ecstatic Maibaum says he couldn’t be hungrier for season 2020.

“I’m absolutely stoked,” Maibaum said.

“I’m just so thankful for being given another chance after being injured. It’s a huge credit to the club and I really appreciate it.

“I’m as driven as I’ve ever been to make 2020 count. This is one last shot to give it everything.”