PORT Adelaide star Ollie Wines has revealed post-season surgery discovered more damage in his troublesome left knee than was initially thought, but the 2021 Brownlow Medal winner is ready to put a mentally-taxing rehabilitation behind him.

Wines' frustrations at his own play in 2022 mirrored the Power's during a tough campaign for the club, but there was more exasperation to come for the 28-year-old at season's end.

The knee soreness that hampered Wines from mid-season became progressively worse before stabilising, with surgery for what was believed to be a relatively minor meniscus issue scheduled for the end of the season.

But the operation revealed the damage to his left knee was far more extensive than first thought.

"I ended up having to get a little bit more done than they thought going in," Wines told AFL.com.au.

"There was a bit more going on in terms of the structure of the actual leg bones and my knee joint.

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"We thought it was a meniscus problem, and that was there, but there was also some other damage that was causing some discomfort.

"That's repaired now, but it meant crutches and no walking for six weeks, then walking for six weeks, which was pretty frustrating.

"By the last week (on crutches) I was pretty emotional with it, and fed up. But I was able to get through it, which was the most important part of the rehab process."

Wines spoke to AFL.com.au shortly after he began a carefully tailored running program, with the star onballer delighted to be back on the track, albeit in a limited capacity.

"Monday was my first day back running, 12 weeks after the surgery," he said.

"It was very pleasing to finally get off the bike and start running.

"It felt good … everything has gone to plan so far.

"As frustrating as the timeline has been, in terms of being so long and not doing any running for three months, at least it's all gone to plan so far.

"I'm tracking to be back in full training by the start of January."

Despite the delayed start to his preparation, Wines is bullish about his ability to recapture his best form next season, and says the Power are set to bounce back from a disappointing year.

After making successive preliminary finals, Ken Hinkley's side got off to a poor start in 2022 and finished the season in 11th spot with a 10-12 record.

But Wines' optimism is fuelled by a healthier squad that has been bolstered by boom recruits Jason Horne-Francis and Junior Rioli.

"We've got full confidence in our squad and what we can achieve," he said.

"We believe we will be back up there.

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"We've built a really strong list … I think we've got some of the most talented youth in the league and there has been strong development with those guys.

"Even when things weren't going our way last season, these younger guys were learning a lot about themselves and how to play the game."

Former No.1 draft pick Horne-Francis has also had an interrupted start to the pre-season, undergoing surgery to decompress arteries behind his knees in October, which the club hopes will allow him to flourish in his first season at Alberton.

"Jason is obviously an enormous talent," Wines said.

"He had a difficult year moving away from SA, but we know what sort of potential he's got.

"We're really excited to have him in our group.

"I'm going to enjoy working with him one-on-one.

"He's very similar to my build as I was when I was coming into the AFL, so it will be fun to work with him and watch him grow as a footballer."