Luckless defender Alex Johnson says the carrot dangling in front of his eyes is just too big to give up chasing his AFL dream now.

Johnson will on Monday tread where no player before him has tread and undergo a fifth knee reconstruction.

The operation leaves a lot of unanswered question but that hasn’t stopped the 24-year-old from tackling his latest procedure head on.

It sounds strange for a player to be looking forward to a major knee operation but in Johnson’s case, who hasn’t played football for more than three seasons, anything that brings him a step closer to playing again is a tantalising prospect.

“I’m really excited for my next operation. A lot of people look at me funny when I say that but it’s a progressive step for me,” Johnson said.

“Hopefully it’s the last step I need to take before I can play again.”

Johnson’s last game was the 2012 premiership win over Hawthorn. Since then he’s had to endure four major surgeries plus countless setbacks and additional operations.

The odds are stacked against him. He has only Geelong Cat Daniel Menzel’s comeback after four to provide him hope that an unlikely return is possible.

Right now, that’s more than enough.

“As time's gone one it has been a lot tougher to be optimistic about things but I've said it before and I'll say it again, the carrot in front of me is playing AFL football again," he added.

“I still have that as my number one goal."

Between his strength work and ongoing rehab, Johnson has been keeping himself busy as an assistant coach to Rhyce Shaw with the NEAFL Swans plus extra work with the QBE Sydney Swans Academy.

Johnson has opted for a traditional reconstruction which, barring any further setbacks, is typically requires a recovery period of between nine to 12 months.