¬GIANT Gold Coast ruckman Zac Smith is recovering well from his knee reconstruction, but will not be ready in time for next season's start.
Smith, 23, ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in round eight against the Western Bulldogs last season, and underwent a traditional reconstruction.
Five months after sustaining the injury, he is now back running and will join the Suns for a two-week altitude camp in Arizona in November.
But Smith said he was in no rush to be available for round one next year, and would be taking a cautious approach.
"I've chatted to docs and physios but haven't put a timeline on it," Smith said.
"If it's right, it's right. If it ends up being 12 months, so be it, I'd rather get it right the first time than re-injure it again."
The 205cm Rockhampton product recaptured some of his best form early last season prior to the setback.
Teammate Tom Nicholls took advantage of Smith's bad luck, locking down the number one ruck spot in his absence.
Smith said he had spoken to teammate Seb Tape – who sustained the same injury in 2012 – about his rehabilitation.
"It's been a rough few months but I'm past the worst now," he said.
"It's progressing really well, on track. I haven't had any hiccups so far, so hopefully everything keeps running smoothly.
"Arizona is definitely going to be a big few weeks because I'm playing catch-up a little bit in terms of my aerobic fitness.
"Hopefully I'll get a lot of gains over there.
"We do a lot of off-track running, and because it's undulating I might not be doing that. Not really sure what they've got in store for me over there. I'm looking forward to it though."
Smith burst on to the AFL scene in Gold Coast's debut 2011 season, with his mix of great tap-work and athleticism around the ground, the prototype of the modern day ruckman.
He has now played 44 games.
The Suns playing list will leave for Arizona on November 10.
