CARLTON forward Brad Fisher is on track to return to the football field just 12 weeks after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
Six weeks after undergoing the same procedure as Swan Nick Malceski and Port's David Rodan - known as LARS (ligament augmentation and reconstruction system) - Fisher spent his 26th birthday, April 9, running laps at Visy Park.
It was only six laps, but as far as Fisher was concerned, it was the best present he received all day.
"The knee is going really well. I've been up and running for just over a week, I've pretty much got all the swelling out of it and I'm just trying to get the full extension and straighten my leg properly," he told afl.com.au.
"There's been a tiny little bit of muscle wastage, but other than that it's all systems go."
Fisher is already doing handball drills and some kicking on his left foot, but intends to spend the better part of this week convincing club medicos to let him start on the right boot.
He plans to be ready to play a half of football with VFL affiliate the Northern Bullants by round nine of the AFL fixture, which will give him plenty of time to push for senior selection in the second half of the season.
Out of favour last year and out of contract at the end of this one, Fisher is under no illusions as to the size of the task that lies ahead of him to keep his AFL dream alive.
"It was frustrating, but I had no one to blame but myself," he said of a 2009 season that saw him play just seven senior games to leave him stranded on 98 career matches.
"I just couldn't get up and going. I dislocated my elbow in the pre-season and that put me back a bit and I never really got going the way I wanted to.
"It was frustrating for me, but I was probably frustrating the coaches and the fans at the same time.
"I'm 26 years old and out of contract at the end of the year. I've always been a realist so I know what's going on - it made the decision [to undergo the LARS procedure] very easy for me.
"I understand that 26-year-old blokes who couldn't get a game aren't what other clubs are searching for, so I've absolutely got to prove my worth to Ratts and the other coaches.
"I'll be leaving no stone unturned to get back out there and play senior footy and hopefully everything else will take care of itself."
Fisher said he told the doctor he wanted the LARS procedure done 'about 20 seconds' after he was given the bad news in the Blacktown change rooms while his teammates played out the first-round NAB Cup clash against the Sydney Swans.
Even then he had a nervous few day's wait while doctors assessed his already-traditionally-reconstructed knee to determine if he was a suitable candidate.
He admitted to breathing a solid sigh of relief when he got the go-ahead and hasn't regretted his decision.
Of course there are always moments of doubt, but Fisher has taken great solace from the kind words of advice from both Malceski and Rodan, who is already back playing after undergoing his procedure in December.
"I've spoken to David and he's just rock solid with it," he said.
"He did every single possible thing he could as far as rehab is concerned and I will adopt the same attitude. Hopefully I can get back in similar time."
No time is a good time to suffer a major knee injury, but Fisher looked set to re-establish himself in the new look Blues' forward following the departure of Brendan Fevola.
On skipper Chris Judd's advice he did plenty of work with athletic and biomechanical experts outside the club this past pre-season and reaped the rewards in an eye-catching display in Carlton's intra-club match.
"It was by far and away the best pre-season I had done," he said.
"I hadn't missed a session just about, I got my body 100 per cent and I was really confident - I was ready to go.
"I loved playing alongside Fev and it was good to learn a few things off him, but with the footy coming inside 50 going to a few different options it probably gives three or four other forwards four or more shots at goal. So there's plenty of opportunity now.
"I was really disappointed, as anyone would be to get injured, but I don't have any time to waste on being flat or sulking about it. That won't do anyone any good, so I'm intent on just continuing to attack my rehab.
"I just love being around the footy club so it makes it easy for me to go in every day to do the work. There are a lot of people worse off than me - I get to play footy again in six weeks so I could be in a lot worse spot than that."
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