GEELONG forward Gryan Miers has opened up on a "really tough and stressful month" as he battles an unusual knee injury, conceding he's "still not out of the woods" as the Cats work out his next steps.

Miers made his return at VFL level against Collingwood on Saturday, playing the first three quarters and finishing with 21 disposals, four tackles and three clearances. 

The 27-year-old labelled the hitout "a huge step in the right direction", coming after scans last month had revealed damage to his ACL, which raised the prospect of season-ending surgery.

Miers had played a few AFL games with what he termed "instability" in his knee, before scans revealed he had been able to play despite some ACL damage.

The club has resisted surgery so far and Miers said while it remains a possibility, his VFL performance in slippery conditions has given him confidence he can continue to manage the injury rather than go under the knife.

"It's a relieving feeling. It's been a really tough and stressful month, weighing up the decision," Miers told AFL.com.au's Gemma Bastiani on ABC Sport.

"And of all days out, in the slippery paddock-like turf, it was a real test for the knee. It's relieving, good it went well and it feels great, so a successful day.

"I played a few games and just had a bit of instability in the knee. I was just working through it, and then the physios said to get a scan, and the scan showed some poor results for me. But the feeling was that I can play, so why should I go for 12 months (out of the game)?

"But it's still not off the cards, if we're being honest. We'll see how the next few weeks go, but today was a huge step in the right direction.

"I'm not out of the woods, but I'm feeling good."

During the week, Cats coach Chris Scott acknowledged it had been an "immensely frustrating" period for Miers, but that club medical staff were increasingly confident that he could avoid surgery.

"It would be immensely frustrating for him I'm sure, because without speaking for him, I suspect that he would say that he has ticked every box. That may well be the case, not speaking for our medical staff, but my opinion is that this is a bit of an unusual injury," he said.

"If there was any certainty, there doesn't seem to be much, but we couldn't be convinced that this didn't need to be tested in match conditions.

"In some respects, (the VFL game) is a little bit of a test. He won't play full game time, it is more just a matter of seeing if he can stand up in match conditions.

"I don't want to put a percentage on it necessarily, but they are very confident that it will be fine."