This was published 8 years ago
AFL season 2016: All eyes on Sun Jaeger O'Meara on his road to recovery
By Sam McClure
Victorian clubs are keeping a close eye on Gold Coast star Jaeger O'Meara, with the injured midfielder facing an uphill battle to play senior football in 2016.
Several clubs believe O'Meara is the hottest out-of-contract property on the market, but remain concerned with the severity of his injury and his road to recovery.
The 22-year-old tore the patella tendon in a knee during a NEAFL practice game in April 2015.
That match was O'Meara's comeback game, after he travelled to London in September 2014 for a procedure in an attempt to deal with chronic knee soreness.
Knee battles: Gold Coast Sun Jaeger O'Meara has not played since April last year after rupturing his patella tendon in a practice match.Credit: Getty Images
O'Meara grew up in rural Western Australia, but owns a property in Melbourne and is believed to be open to a move to Victoria.
He played 44 games in his first two seasons at the Suns and quickly became an emerging star of the competition, but hasn't played since the round 23 loss to West Coast in 2014.
The Suns insist that contract negotiations are unlikely to begin until O'Meara can begin playing consistent football and proving that he has fully recovered from his injury.
If he doesn't play senior football in 2016, Victorian clubs view the potential signing of O'Meara as a significant risk, given the history of his injury.
"Jaeger has said he's not talking contracts with the club or any other clubs, he just wants to focus on getting his knee right and playing footy," O'Meara's manager Colin Young told Fairfax Media.
Only Essendon's Michael Long and Richmond's Chris Knights have suffered similar injuries in recent AFL history.
Long suffered a devastating knee injury in round seven of 1996 against Geelong and was never quite the same player, managing just 64 games in the remaining six years of his career.
Knights ripped his patella off the bone in round seven of 2013 against Port Adelaide and went on to play just one more senior game in his career.
The history of O'Meara's injury has forced the Suns to be extremely conservative with his rehabilitation.
It's understood O'Meara has already told Suns officials he wants to play in the reserves for at least a month before considering a return to senior football.
O'Meara is running on an anti-gravity treadmill to help stay fit while not putting pressure on his injured knee.
All things going to plan, he will start light track running at the end of April or the start of May, before he starts on a club program that will build him up towards competitive training.