HIS CAREER hung by a thread at the end of last season and Kristin Thornton has the look of a player making the most of his second chance with the Sydney Swans.

As the curtain was drawn on 2008, the 20-year-old was still to make a senior appearance for the club after three seasons.

An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury to his left knee in February ruined a campaign that looked promising for a debut.

In hindsight, it could have happened for Thornton given the number of youngsters coach Paul Roos gave opportunities to.

Following a tough rehabilitation, the skilful half-back was told that the club wanted to keep him but needed to make room for three picks in November's NAB AFL Draft.

It meant delisting Thornton from the senior list and re-signing him through December's NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

Since then, with his knee showing no signs of trouble, the West Australian has looked fitter and happier than ever before.

As he looks to push for selection in 2009, it's a wiser and more appreciative Thornton who's shone over the summer.

"I got lucky to be rookied again," he said. "This is a crunch year, so I'm doing everything in my power to make it a good one."

Thornton has shaved around 11 seconds off his 3km time trials and feels in better shape than he did at this stage last year.

"Having a year off footy, you think about a lot of things," he said. "I've definitely got a bigger appreciation of my body and what you can get out of it and how it can be taken away.

"I've learnt not to take anything for granted – making the most of what you've got while you've got it. And enjoying it too [because] it can be taken away in a split second."

The Swans' fourth pick (No. 54 overall) in the 2005 pool still sees the half-back line as his best position.

If selected there, it would be a dream to play alongside his hero and housemate Tadhg Kennelly before the popular Irishman retires.

"I look up to him a lot, and hopefully I've learnt something from him as I see myself playing across the half-back line," he said.

It's too early to determine whether Thornton could become a long-term replacement for Kennelly, but his goal is very simple.

"I was stoked for the younger guys to get a game last season but I haven't played a game yet, so a big goal of mine is to just play," he said.

"If I can retire with having played just one game of AFL football, I'd be absolutely stoked. That's my goal. Hopefully I'd do well enough and play a few more.

"But right now if I played one game, anything else would just be a bonus."