Sydney's Nick Malceski runs up the field after kicking the winning goal in the Grand Final. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun
WHEN Swans defender Nick Malceski booted the winning goal in last year's grand final he earned a spot alongside Leo Barry as a genuine premiership hero.
In the process he also became a pin-up boy for the revolutionary knee surgery called LARS - a procedure in which synthetic fibres rather than a muscle graft are used to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament.
The 28-year-old has had the operation twice on his right knee, first in 2008 and again in 2011. He also had a conventional knee reconstruction on his left knee in 2004.
"If I didn't have the LARS surgery I wouldn't be playing," Malceski said. "If I had three conventional reconstructions I wouldn't have gone through it. If I had to go through another 12 months of rehab it would have done my head in."
The Man from LARS, as commentating doyen Dennis Cometti dubbed him, has started something of a revolution in the AFL.
This week Geelong's Daniel Menzel decided to go with the LARS procedure after having two conventional knee reconstructions.
Like Malceski, the 21-year-old couldn't bear the thought of going through another 12-month rehabilitation.
"Two in a row is hard enough mentally. Three is too much," Menzel said.
Last month, Fremantle's Anthony Morabito also took the LARS option to try to save his football career.
"I gave Anthony a call and had a chat about LARS," Malceski said. "I gave him the facts about how quickly you get back into it."
Malceski has made two speedy recoveries from the LARS surgery.
After a break-out year in 2007, Malceski ruptured his ACL in the NAB Cup game against Hawthorn in Tasmania. He returned in round eight against Essendon.
After damaging the same synthetic ligament again in 2011, he returned in 10 weeks.
Rather than lose faith in LARS, he took the view that re-injuring his knee could have happened with conventional surgery, which has a 12-month recovery period.
Overcoming injury hasn't been the only battle Malceski has faced.
Poor form saw him dropped to the reserves for two games in the middle of last year. His return to the seniors against Brisbane only came after Marty Mattner withdrew.
"(Swans coach) John Longmire pulled me aside and said, 'you have your opportunity again' and I didn't want to let that slip," Malceski said.
His grand final goal, like Leo Barry's mark, is now part of footy folklore and the good times haven't stopped there.
On January 18 Malceski and wife Laura welcomed their first child, Harrison. "Fatherhood, what a great feeling that is," he said. "I had a blank after winning the grand final for about 10 minutes and the same thing happened after Harrison was born."
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