2011 always loomed as a big year for Campbell Heath.

After breaking into the Swans senior team for two games last year, and with his contract expiring at the end of this year, Heath was looking for a consistent pre-season to push for a regular spot in the side. 

However, a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in a training mishap at the end of January put paid to those plans, and just getting back to football at all became Heath’s number one priority.

After undergoing a conventional knee reconstruction to repair an ACL injury in 2009, just after he was drafted by the Swans, Heath was fully aware of the race against the clock he faced to play in 2011.

With the severity of the situation playing on his mind, Heath - with the backing of the Club and his family - opted to undergo the revolutionary LARS surgery. It was a procedure which came to prominence in February 2008, when teammate Nick Malceski became the first AFL player to have it done.

“At training I had an inkling I’d done it again. It felt exactly the same as the first time I did it, but I was trying to keep positive,” Heath recalled this week.

“I was talking to (Club doctor) Nathan Gibbs the next day, and I was shattered when he told me - that’s when I thought my AFL career was actually over.

“(I thought) my career could be determined by this year, so there was no point side-tracking the whole year - I may as well try something new.

“If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, then they’ll just put another one (synthetic ligament) in.”

Heath cited Malceski’s swift return to football in 2008 as a major factor behind his decision to undergo the radical procedure. Then, in an unfortunate twist of fate, Malceski re-ruptured his ACL in training just weeks after Heath’s LARS surgery.

After Malceski completed another LARS operation, both defenders undertook the bulk of their rehab together. Heath says having Malceski alongside him was a driving force in his recovery, and it also strengthened the bond they had already developed.

“As soon as I moved up here in my first year, I lived with Mal, so we’ve had a pretty strong relationship since we met each other,” Heath said.

“We are both similar players, so we share the same game plan and really the same circumstances that have happened, so he and I really bonded well.

“We were both there for each other, supporting each other, on and off the field. During our recovery, we trained a lot together and really pushed each other to get back as quickly as possible.”

Heath said he gained a sense of satisfaction when Malceski returned to the senior side in round 9 on May 22 against Hawthorn, knowing all too well the road he had travelled to get back onto the SCG just 79 days after undergoing surgery.

“I think it’s a great credit to him to be out there playing seniors so soon after his knee reconstruction,” Heath said. “It’s outstanding and something I strive to work to.

“For me, I know where he’s come from and how hard it is mentally and physically to get back, and for him to do it within 11 weeks is outstanding.

“There are not many players within the AFL who could do that, and he’s done it three times, so it just shows the resilience of him.

“A lot of people should look up to him for what he has done.”

Heath’s own recovery was completed when he lined-up for the Swans reserves on May 14. It was a speedy recovery and he credits the LARS surgery - especially as he knows how much longer it took to come back after his conventional knee reconstruction in 2009.

“I’m glad I had a LARS,” he said.

“I was able to walk straight out of the hospital. There wasn’t as much pain in the first couple of days, and just the whole rehab in itself was shortened dramatically.

“In my first reconstruction, my leg wasted away. I lost all my muscle, and that took a lot of time to rebuild. With the LARS, I didn’t lose much at all and I was able to keep my strength up in the gym. That was probably the main reason I was able to keep the stability in my knee and the muscles surrounding it.

“I was able to run within three or four weeks, whereas with the conventional one, I was able to run up to nine or ten weeks after the operation - so it was dramatically fast-tracked.”

With the improved recovery time and Heath’s desperation to return to football, the Swans medical staff had to hold him back.

“I probably pestered them (the medical staff) a bit in the early stages to get my rehab done, and fast track it a bit,” Heath admitted.

“They held me off the last couple of weeks. They wanted to get me really right. I’m still young, and there are still a lot of games to be played in the season.

“They didn’t want to risk anything, recurring injuries or new injuries that may arise. They were really good and they got the best out of me - the best for me - so I’m really thankful for that.”

Since returning, Heath has barely missed a beat in both training and match play. After admitting to a few nerves on resuming training, he says he is now focused entirely on football, with few thoughts of the injury.

“I was a bit nervous for the first week, I didn’t really know what to expect,” he said.
“There were a few contests early on that really tested my knee, and it held up, so from there it’s been smooth sailing.

“From probably the first game, I haven’t really thought about the knee -it’s in the past now.

“During the game, I’m just thinking about my role and what’s best for the team.

“It still gets a little bit stiff and sore after the game, so it’s something I have to manage through stretching and recovery, but during the game I don’t worry about it at all, which is good for my confidence.”

Heath has seamlessly slotted back to a defensive post in Henry Playfair’s undefeated reserves team, and is looking to develop his defensive role. He wants to progress from strictly stopping his man, to generating attack off the half-back line.

Heath says he is trying to model his game on current Swans defender Tadhg Kennelly - Heath’s new mentor - with a focus on continuously running the lines, linking defence and attack, but also dogged defence.

“For me, I just need to stop my opponent - so that’s no trail-ins, spoiling when it’s needed, bodywork - but then also linking up, and using the ball well once we’ve got it,” he said.

“I think last year I got stuck in the trap of just playing on my man and not giving him a kick, but this year we need a few good kicks behind the ball and some good delivery into the forward line, and that’s something that I’ve tried to generate.

“I’ve watched Tadhg’s vision, and that’s the sort of player I want to be.

“(I want to) try and bring the ball through the corridor, and try and cut up the opposition. It’s something that I’m working on, but I still want to be a lock-down defender as well, which is really important for seniors.”

To get to Kennelly’s level - a consistent performer in the Swans side over the past ten years - Heath says he must improve his fitness base; a task he admits has been made more difficult by the time he spent on the sidelines at the start of the season.

With no complications from his knee, Heath is now starting to increase his training load to try and reach those pre-season goals.

“It started yesterday (Tuesday) at training,” Heath said on increasing his training.

“It’s been hard over the last few years because I haven’t had a full pre-season so my fitness hasn’t been where I’ve wanted it to be.

“I’m feeling fit at the moment, probably the fittest I’ve been, (and now I’m) just running out games and getting that real offensive run going.

“I feel if I can do that, and do it consistently, I think I’ll be pushing for selection.”