ADELAIDE forward Jared Petrenko flirted with the idea of following Geelong star Steven Motlop to London for knee surgery this pre-season, but instead opted for what he hopes will be a long-term fix.
Petrenko's knee tendonitis has meant a strictly monitored training load for the 24-year-old through every pre-season he has done.
Identified by coach Brenton Sanderson as the type of high-intensity player who might feel the pinch of the incoming interchange cap more than others, Petrenko finds himself in a catch-22 situation.
He's well aware of the need to improve his fitness to remain on the ground for longer, but increasing the kilometres he puts through his legs at training also increases the risk of inflaming the tendonitis.
Motlop's surgery could solve his problem, but Petrenko can't afford to be sidelined for up to 12 weeks.
Instead, he's hoping to ease the load on his knees by strengthening everything around them.
"I spoke to a specialist and she said that my calves would stop working five minutes into a game…[so] my knees were taking the full brunt of an AFL game and they're not designed to do that," Petrenko told AFL.com.au.
"Stevie Motlop's gone over to London to have surgery for [tendonitis]. We did talk about that but we wanted to see how my knees would react to the leg strengthening program that I had and they've actually reacted really well.
"I don't think the surgery really fixes the tendon…it's actually just for the pain side of things
"I wouldn't mind something like that but I think it's a 12-week recovery.
"I need all the training I can get."
He and Motlop bonded about their struggles with tendonitis midway through last season, but in Petrenko's words they've decided to "go down different paths".
The road he took has focused on strengthening his quads and calves and has meant minimal running.
But the Crows' performance staff worked him hard in other ways and Petrenko said he was well placed, just days before Adelaide's NAB Challenge campaign kicks off.
"I get pulled out of a lot of drills and I obviously want to do as much as I can to get fitter, it's just managing to get days off for my legs – so I do lots of boxing, cross-training and all that sort of stuff," he said.
"I've done a few fitness tests lately and I'm back to where I think I need to be."
Petrenko hoped an improved fitness base – as well as pain-free knees – would allow him to add the offensive potency that's kept him from taking the next step in his development.
"I pride myself on the defensive side of my game, my tackling and those sorts of things, but hopefully I can add more to the offensive side," he said.
"I want to get more of the ball and get onto the scoreboard a bit more."
