HAWTHORN defender Matthew Suckling appears certain to undergo a traditional knee reconstruction rather than LARS surgery to repair the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Suckling suffered the injury in the NAB Cup match against Richmond at Aurora Stadium on Saturday.
"Our approach has always been what's the best outcome for the player, and in a young player where they've got plenty of their career left you'll always choose that option anyway," Hawks football manager Mark Evans told radio station SEN on Monday morning.
"We almost have to be led by the player to do something different. At this stage it seems that the traditional method would be the best.
"He's got a little bit of bone bruising and that will probably determine how fast he rehabs anyway (and) that has to be respected.
"The pleasing thing was the other structures in the knee, the other ligaments, are all pretty sound."
Suckling, 24, was one of only three Hawks to play every game last year.
"He knows that he's got a bit ahead of him," Evans said.
"He's seen other people go through it - I think his sister might have even had a reconstructed knee, so he knows he just has to go and get on with it."
Suckling is the fourth Hawk to suffer a serious knee injury in the past 12 months – a situation Evans admitted was "devastating and hard to comprehend". The others have been youngster Alex Woodward, Michael Osborne and Brendan Whitecross.
Woodward suffered a major setback in January when his graft gave way, but Evans said Osborne and Whitecross were progressing well, with Osborne close to starting competitive work at training and Whitecross a chance to return within two months.
Evans said skipper Luke Hodge is also back into full training and is expected to build up to match fitness over the next few weeks.
