JAEGER O'Meara will be right to play round one next season, but Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade admits he has concerns whether the star midfielder will return to his best.
O'Meara ruptured his patella tendon in a NEAFL practice match in March and has not played a game this season.
This came after radical off-season surgery to both knees that had already compromised his pre-season.
Eade said O'Meara was the ultimate professional and would start running again shortly, but said he was worried.
"There's always some doubt," Eade said.
"It was a freakish accident.
"We're confident he'll be right. He's going to give himself every chance because he's very professional.
"There's always that element of doubt I suppose."
The 2013 Rising Star winner will be fine to start pre-season training in November when the Suns return, Eade said.
"He should be OK to start running shortly, the next six to eight weeks," he said.
"If everything goes well, he'll be more than ready by round one."