FREMANTLE'S Scott Gumbleton is targeting a return to football within three weeks after recovering from his pre-season hamstring injury.
Gumbleton crossed to the Dockers at the end of last year after seven injury-plagued seasons with Essendon.
After a strong summer, a torn hamstring in the NAB Challenge has sidelined Freo's new recruit for three months.
But he is expecting to resume playing in the WAFL in the next two to three weeks for Peel Thunder, where he played before being the Bombers' No.2 pick at the 2006 NAB AFL Draft.
"I can't wait," Gumbleton told Fremantle's website.
"I'm looking forward to going back and playing grassroots footy again, back home where my parents are, and all my friends are down there, so it'd be fantastic."
The 25-year-old, who played 35 games and kicked 45 goals for the Bombers, said he was still aiming to hold down a spot in Fremantle's forward line.
"I'd like to be able to be a presence down there and provide a contest and, hopefully, help out the key forwards and the little fellas crumbing around," Gumbleton said.
"I actually can't wait to get back out there and be part of a team again, it’d be great."
Gumbleton has been back training for a couple of weeks, and feels he has got through the "hard yards".
"It's been quite good, I've been lucky enough that I haven’t felt it (hamstring injury) for a long time," he said.
"(There was) a lot of gym stuff originally and then the running came after that.
"It was basically just getting the strength back in the hamstring ... which has progressed really well."
