DON'T get me wrong, I realised exactly what I was getting into when I signed up to write a weekly column in this newspaper, and how I would have to talk about whatever the main issues were in the game or at the club. It was an area outside of football that I wanted to try. I just didn't expect that I would be writing about myself so much.

What I thought the column would be about was an insight into the Swans, AFL in general and the issues which pop up in the game, and giving my opinion on those and other matters. Unfortunately for a fair bit this season, I've been one of the main issues, and while writing about myself all the time is probably not ideal, it has been a good chance for me to put my point across and fill people in about the way I have seen things and what I have been going through.

When it was decided I would be cleared to play this weekend, Grant Brecht (the Swans psychologist) suggested we put things out on the table, and the club organised for me and Roosy to speak to reporters, just so I could get across my point of view, and the club's point of view. Once the story was out there, I wouldn't need to be doing any more interviews - apart from my column - for the rest of the season.

While I have been the main topic of a lot of these columns this year, hopefully this will be the last time I need to do that. I want to be talking about football issues for the rest of the year, and the best way for me to do that is to focus on my own footy, and make sure there's no other incidents for anyone else to be talking about.

As I said, at least I've been able to get my side of things out there. But the one area in which I haven't gone into details - and never will - is my personal life, although that hasn't stopped it being reported, and that is tough. But the reality is if you're a high profile person that comes along with it the territory.

I don't know how movie stars cope with having people following them around. It does get annoying, and especially when there is stuff that comes out that is just false. Some people try to read between the lines and work it out themselves and just end up getting it wrong. That's frustrating. But what can you do?

I think with a lot of the stuff which has gone on over the past three weeks, particularly personal things, then also not knowing how long I was going to be out, probably made this stint on the sideline even tougher than the seven weeks I was out earlier in the year.

But getting reassurances from Grant last week that it was going to be weeks rather than months - despite it still being an unknown - was a real positive for me. Looking back now and the process we worked through, the result has turned out OK, and has come fairly quickly.

I know people have already said the only reason I'm back in is because Mick O'Loughlin is injured, but anyone who knows Paul Roos would realise that would have had no impact on whether I came back this week or later.

There is no way Roosy would ever cave in like that. If I wasn't ready or he didn't think I was ready, he wouldn't bring me back. You can't control what people might say or write about the subject, but I think at the club we know I'm in a good space to play and that was what the decision came down to.

I went to Roosy and John Blakey on Monday, before they had spoken with Grant, and told them I felt I was right to go. Then I went and had some lunch with Brett Kirk and Craig Bolton, and basically just got the same message across to them that, regardless of the injuries, regardless of Mick playing or not, I thought I was mentally right to play this weekend. Grant had to tick all that off before anything happened, and I was really pleased when he felt the same way.

For me it's now about focusing on the rest of this year. I still think that in the future I have a lot to offer and, in terms of this year and next year, I certainly want to be playing. My thinking right now is all about this year and wanting to repay a little bit to my teammates. And I think I've got a fair bit to offer in the coming years.

I've heard a few people suggest that I will be niggled when I get back out on the field. I think footy is past that, but if it happens it happens. I have handled it in the past and, if it bobs up, I'm pretty confident I'll handle it.