West Coast star Nic Naitanui is ahead of schedule as he recovers from a second knee reconstruction, as reported byย SEN.ย
The Eagles ruckman ruptured the ACL in his right knee during the round 17 match against Collingwood last season, causing him to miss the remainder of the season including the club's premiership trumph.
It was a hard blow for the 28 year-old who missed more than 18 months after suffering the exact same injury in his opposite knee in Round 22, 2016.
GM of Football Craig Vozzo says its been a relatively smooth rehabilitation process to date.
"Nic is tracking really well," Vozzo toldย SEN.ย
"It's probably ahead of where he would've been at the same time when the other knee was reconstructed."
"We've had less setbacks in this rehab phase compared to last time."
"He's in a happy space doing a bit more on ground, he just started that this week, which was really encouraging for him and for us."
"So, all being well, we'll see more and more of him integrating into training in the new year."
Naitanui has payed 161 games for the Eagles since being taken at pick two in the 2008 AFL Draft.
