The Swans have tried a new revolutionary procedure from Europe to repair Malceski's torn ACL. It could mean he'll only miss 3 months instead of the traditional 12 months and he'll be back as soon as round 8 
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Malceski underwent what is known as a ligament augmentation and reconstruction system (LARS), where a ligament made of industrial-strength polyester fibres is used to replace the torn natural ligament.
"With the LARS procedure, it's an inert ligament . . . you screw it in and, technically, it's as strong as it will be from day one.
"In simple terms, the basic way we've done cruciate reconstructions is you put some new tissue or material in there to reconstruct or recreate the cruciate ligament.
"Most of the time you take body parts, usually a tendon from the kneecap or from the hamstring.
"Not having to take tendons means you don't have the trauma of getting over that side of things, so the rehabilitation is quicker for that reason alone.
"The ideal time to try this procedure is when you've got an important player who is injured early in the season, so there's plenty of time to get back. If it's unsuccessful, you would know by May-June, and he'd still have plenty of time to do the traditional operation and be back for the following season."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23275688-19742,00.html
