GEELONG forward Daniel Menzel has his sights on returning to football in June next year as he prepares to come back from his fourth knee reconstruction.
The 22-year-old, who has played just 21 games in his four seasons with the Cats, has started to step up his running in rehab, four months after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for the third time.
He joined his Cats teammates on their recent pre-Christmas training camp to Coffs Harbour, where he completed short distance running over 100 metres, 200 metres and 300 metres.
The plan is to steadily build up his running program before staking his claim to play in the VFL, 10 months after tearing his ACL in August.
"For us, and the physios have agreed, that 10 months is the earliest we'll look at playing in the VFL, obviously at first," Menzel told geelongcats.com.au.
"That gives us until June next year, which for me gives me enough time to hopefully play good enough footy in the VFL and get back in the AFL before the finals.
"However, if we do have setbacks then we'll just have to adjust our plans accordingly and put it back if we need to put it back."
In November, Menzel visited and worked with leading sports injury expert Bill Knowles, considered the "best in the world", in Philadelphia in the US.
While there, Knowles worked with Menzel on his running technique – correcting his foot placement and the mechanics of his running style.
"We were able to pinpoint a few things and I've brought it back here and we're just trying to really hone in on it now, so, for when I did come back, we'll just change a few small things and hopefully it will help me in the long run," he said.
Menzel first injured his right knee in the 2011 qualifying final against Hawthorn, before sustaining a similar injury to his left knee in his comeback match in the VFL the following year.
In a bid to save his career, Menzel had LARS surgery (on his left knee) to speed up the recovery process but was left devastated when he re-injured it at training.
He then decided to have another traditional knee reconstruction to avoid rushing the rehabilitation process.
Through it all, Menzel has never thought of giving his career away, although he admits the multiple injuries have taken their toll.
Menzel is wary about getting his hopes up for his return, but can't wait to be back out there training with his teammates.
"You've just got to set yourself short-term goals and you try to achieve them. And when you do it's amazing how much of a bonus or how much of an up you get from that," he said.
"To be actually able to train with the boys every day will be a great feeling and it'll mean the most when I can actually play again."
