Will Hams says his return to the senior side came after a strong pre-season and consistency in the VFL.

Injuries plagued Hams’ first three seasons with the Bombers.  He played five games in that time and his inclusion for the game against the Dockers on Saturday night was his first senior match in more than a year.

“It has been quite difficult with all of the injuries I’ve had,” Hams said.

“This year has been really good – I’ve been happy to get back out there, I’ve played most games in the VFL and I didn’t really miss a beat in pre-season.

“I’ve started to build a bit of consistency and I guess that has flowed into my footy and I’ve put a few good performances together in the VFL.”

A shoulder injury briefly interrupted his progress in the VFL, but he’s played seven games at state level this season averaging 23 possessions, four marks and four tackles per game.

He’s also spent time in the forward half this season, where he’s kicked five goals.

A long-term injury to Jonathan Simpkin opened the door for Hams to be promoted to the senior list on Thursday and he was named in the side later that night.

He picked up 14 possessions against the Dockers, laid five tackles and also kicked his first AFL goal.

“It was obviously pretty disappointing with the loss, we’ve got a few things to work on,” Hams said.

“But I guess one positive is it was just good to be back out there with the boys and run around again.

“It was a pretty good feeling to get the first ‘sausage’, but I guess it was in that dead period of the game… but it was pretty good.”

The Bombers return to the field on Friday night for a match with rival, Hawthorn.

“It will just be a lot about recovery.  It’s going to be a six-day turnaround; we’re coming back from Perth so we’ll get into the recovery pretty early," Hams said.

“We’ll get a skills session in and try to work on our touch but it will mostly be about recovery.”