IT MIGHT seem a long way off, but West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui is setting his sights on returning by about round 16 next season as he continues his recovery from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
Naitanui tore the ACL in his left knee after an innocuous landing in round 22 against Hawthorn, sparking fears he could miss the entirety of 2017.
But the spring-heeled big man is making "pretty good" progress in his rehabilitation and has even tackled Perth's daunting Jacob's Ladder, as he builds towards a playing comeback.
"I think that's (round 15 or 16) just a date that Simmo's (coach Adam Simpson) thrown out, but I'll aim to look to around then," Naitanui said.
"But we'll take it, like it is every time, week-by-week and see how we're progressing.
"Myself and Scotty Lycett (PCL reconstruction) have been working pretty closely together so it's good to have a partner in rehab.
"It's (Jacob's Ladder) just part of the program, so we do a fair bit elsewhere. Because we can't do skills they find a lot of alternatives around Perth for us to get the same sort of cardio."
Naitanui was restricted to playing the role of club ambassador welcoming No.1 ticketholder and Formula One star Daniel Ricciardo to training on Wednesday, while his Eagles teammates slogged it out in sweltering conditions.
"Daniel enjoys the 40-degree heat today, but a lot of us aren't, it's pretty tough for us," Naitanui said.
Ricciardo, back in Perth for a flying visit after finishing third in the Formula One world championship, regularly watches Eagles games online around the globe and was shattered when Naitanui went down.
"Knowing Nic a little bit as well, I obviously felt extremely sorry for him, it's the tough part of being an athlete, especially in a physical sport like AFL," Ricciardo said.
"It's a shame the amount of time it actually keeps you out (from playing)."
The Eagles have recruited injury-plagued former Cats big man Nathan Vardy and ex-North Melbourne veteran Drew Petrie to help fill their ruck void and support journeyman Jonathan Giles.
Vardy looked in impressive condition as he roamed freely around Wembley Sports Park in the Eagles' final training session of the year on Wednesday, while former Hawks champion Sam Mitchell was a dominant influence in match simulation.
Mitchell already appeared to have formed a strong understanding with Luke Shuey and fellow Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis, particularly around stoppages.
Young guns Liam Duggan and Dom Sheed were also prominent in full ground drills, and Naitanui is confident the West Coast midfielders will step up in his absence.
"I think the introduction of Sam Mitchell will help the midfield as well. Shuey's taken his game to another level, Pridda's (Priddis) always been consistent with Gaffy (Andrew Gaff)," he said.
"I think whether we get it done by hand or not from the ruck perspective the younger mids and then the older mids will get it done I reckon, so we'll be right."
Meanwhile, utility Simon Tunbridge's knee reconstruction has gone "as well as can be expected".
The 23-year-old rookie had hybrid LARS surgery on his left knee on Tuesday after tearing his ACL during training on December 12.
"Simon’s operation yesterday went as well as can be expected," general manager of football Craig Vozzo said.
"He was released from hospital earlier today. The short term aim is to get rid of all swelling and obtain a full range of movement as quickly as possible."
