The first sweet shiver of contact coupled with animosity. That familiar detonation of bone, muscle and flesh into a living, breathing target.

“That,’’ reckoned Junior Turner, “is when I’ll allow myself to get excited. Then I’ll feel like I’m back. Only then.

“I’m not going to quite believe it, that it’s happening, until I actually get to hit somebody and make a tackle, make a sack, make a play.”

Jeremiah Johnson. Chris Rainey. Jonathon Jennings. Travis Lulay. Anyone outfitted in Lions livery will do quite nicely, thanks.

The customized nameplate on the back of the jersey Friday at BC Place is insignificant.

“Only at that moment,’’ said Turner, “will I know that a long road has been travelled, the culmination of a lot of hard work has finally arrived.

“Then.

“That first hit.”

Photo by David Moll

The 28-year-old, seventh-year interior D-lineman from Bishop’s University underwent off-season reconstructive knee surgery after starting the Grey Cup game, Nov. 29 at BMO Field.

Since then, the necessary monotony of bringing the knee back up to competitive strength has dominated his waking hours.

“The beginning (of rehab) was the hardest,’’ confessed Turner. “For me, anyway. I’ll admit it: I’m a stubborn person. I’ve always liked being independent.

“But after the surgery, I realized I had to lean on a lot of people at home. This is something you can’t do on your own.

“You need a solid support team, especially coming back from a knee injury. So it’s tough at the start. But it gets … better. Having someone like Micah Johnson showing me what I needed to do was invaluable.

“We play the same position, and last year was his first healthy season after back-to-back ACLs. So he was there to lean on, to provide advice, to keep my morale up. He gave me great perspective.

“We talked pretty much every week. A great friend.

“Then, for the most part, I’d already played four years with a partially torn knee. So I think my road may not have been as as difficult as most players ’cause I’ve been injured most of my CFL career.

“So the mental part isn’t as tough, especially coming back playing. I don’t think about it because most of my career I’ve been dealing with a bad knee.

“For me, this is like having a brand-new knee. I feel like the sky’s the limit.”

Photo by David Moll

Turner’s first taste of hand-to-hand combat for 2017 is expected when the 5-1-1 Stamps head west aiming to keep pace with or make up ground on the West Division-pacesetting Edmonton Eskimos.

“Junior’s in his third week of practice, which is nice,’’ critiqued head coach Dave Dickenson. “He’s chomping at the bit. I really feel like he’s maybe a little further ahead, even though he had the injury that occurred the latest.

“He works hard. I’d be surprised if he’s not in there battling. You always make sure you temper your expectations, especially with what happened to (Deron) Mayo, but I enjoy watching him practice, enjoy having him back out there.”

While Turner’s availability for Friday against the redemption-seeking Lions seems all but assured (fingers crossed), the aforementioned Mayo, aiming to join him on the comeback trail, was held out of Tuesday’s workout at McMahon Stadium due to a sudden soreness in his re-habbed knee.

The hugely influential linebacker, out since sustaining a freak injury in late October against Montreal, spent the nearly two hours of field time with the knee being iced.

“Deron’s one of our leaders,’’ lauds Turner. “Yeah, we’re roughly the same age but I’ve definitely looked up to him since the day I met him.

“The last two months we’ve gone through the rehab process together so it’s tough to see a setback. But I know how mentally tough he is, so I also know he’ll be alright.”

Photo by David Moll

Junior Turner will, too.

Just give him a target Friday. Any target. Johnson. Jennings. Rainey.

Names, reputations, are irrelevant.

“Once it happens,’’ says Turner, “you’ll feel that sense of relief. You’ll think: ‘I’ve done it now, I’m playing football at full speed.’

“Because practice is one thing. When you’re playing in a game, you’re playing for keeps. It’s an entirely different animal.

“So getting that first hit out of the way …

“It’s seems like a long time. But, really, it’s like riding a bike. You never forget how.

“I can’t wait.”