The Gold Coast SUNS believe cutting edge surgery will bring an end to the chronic knee tendinitis issues Jaeger O’Meara endured in 2014.

The young midfielder was prevented from training throughout last season due to the persistent problem. But after opting for the drastic procedure, O’Meara is confident his concerns are behind him.



The 2013 Rising Star recipient went under the knife in early November in London with world leading orthopaedic consultant Hakan Alfredson who specialises in patella tendons. The Swedish surgeon has previously assisted 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic with their knee ailments.



O’Meara won’t put a timeline on his return to full training, stressing the importance of seeing how his knees respond to increases in his recovery. At this stage of his rehabilitation, O’Meara’s conditioning program consists of swimming, stationery bike, boxing and urgo, and the composed ball user is pleased with his advancement.



“I’m progressing really well at the moment. I’m just trying to tick the boxes day-by-day and not taking it too quickly,” O’Meara told SUNS TV on Tuesday.



“I think the main thing with this injury is I’ve got to take it day-by-day and not try to put a timeframe on it and just set little milestones for myself.”



The 20-year-old followed up a stellar debut season by averaging 21.5 possessions and 6.5 tackles per game to finish fifth in the SUNS club champion award, backing up his third placing in the 2013 edition.



Whilst his on-field exploits suggested that his inability to train in 2014 had limited impact on his football, O’Meara vented his displeasure at not being able to polish his skills during the season or get extra mileage in his legs.



“Probably after round three or four I wasn’t training with the main squad I was pulling up pretty sore in my knees post games. It was taking me about three or four days to recover from a game,” O’Meara admitted.



“I was just mainly cross training and come Wednesday I was doing a little bit of training on the ground but it was basically just doing the warm up and then I was on the bike or on the grinder.



“It was a bit frustrating for me because I feel that I can play my best football when I’m training hard throughout the week and getting a bit of a blowout during the week.”



Despite his knee issues being degenerative, the Western Australian product is confident that his round of surgery in England will resolve his knee problems moving forward.



“I’m really confident that I won’t have any worries with my knees once I’ve completed my rehab,” O’Meara said.



“It’s going to give me the opportunity to be able to train hard throughout the week and not have to be off legs three to four days after a game. I’m really keen for my rehab to be finished and then I’ll be able to train properly.”