The Steel defender sat out the business end of the ANZ Championship last season with a strained left calf muscle and has missed the opening three rounds of the 2010 campaign with a similar injury, but on the other leg.
Scanlan (32) kept tweaking it just when it seemed to be on the mend and has spent most of the pre-season rehabilitating and the last three weeks watching from the sidelines.
But the former Silver Ferns defender is poised to return to court when the Steel plays the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Adelaide tomorrow.
"It has been frustrating, because I didn't think it was going to take this long," she said.
"I'd be on the right track and doing everything I was supposed to be doing and it would be coming right. So I'd go for a run and it would tweak again. But in the last three weeks it has come along really well."
With the Steel defensive end of Leana de Bruin and Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit going so well for the southern franchise, Scanlan may have wait for an opportunity and will likely make her return from the bench.
In Scanlan's absence, physiotherapist Jenny Ferguson has taken her place in the squad, and has performed admirably when she has been thrust into the action by coach Robyn Broughton.
Ferguson is no stranger to top-level netball, having been a key member of the champion Sting side.
"It was mentioned there could be a conflict of interest," Scanlan joked.
"But Jen was fantastic. She worked really hard on my rehab."
The Steel has shown glimpses of potential this season and has generally treasured possession and played with patience. But there have been some patchy periods as well and the team has tended to fade over the second 30 minutes.
Last week's win against the Pulse was comprehensive but not complete. The struggling Wellington-based team rallied in the second spell and outscored the Steel 27-22.
"Hopefully, we'll play more consistently this week and not have a quarter where we take the foot off the pedal a bit. You can't afford to do that in this competition," Scanlan said.
The Thunderbirds, last year's beaten finalist, have had a slow start, opening with two losses. They bounced back last week to beat the Queensland Firebirds by one goal, in a dramatic match.
"It would be a bit of a bonus to win over there," Scanlan said.
"We've never won over there before . . . but our team is very capable. The great thing about this competition is that every team is very competitive. But for us to win over there would be massive."
She would love to earn back her spot in the Silver Ferns squad at the Commonwealth Games in India this year. But first, she has to get back on the court for the Steel.
"My calf has been my main focus. But now it has come right, hopefully, I'll be able to play well and get back in the team. If we have a good season, hopefully, everything else will fall into place."
Round four of the ANZ Championship is the rivalry round with every match a transtasman battle. The country which scores the highest aggregate of goals across all five games will win the trophy. Australia won last year.
