WEST Coast rookie Simon Tunbridge will turn to LARS surgery in an attempt to save his career.

After rupturing the ACL in his left knee on Monday, Tunbridge and the Eagles have opted for a hybrid operation they hope will have the youngster back within six months.

West Coast football operations manager Craig Vozzo told News Corp the club was wary of a straight LARS operation, despite the fact it can have players returning within three months.

He said the hybrid option would combine a synthetic fibre with a hamstring ligament and give Tunbridge a greater chance of success.

"We didn't have the same level of confidence in the straight LARS," Vozzo said.

"But our surgeons are quite confident in the outcomes they've had with the hybrid LARS scenario and the recurrence rate has been quite low. So from our point of view it's a good decision."

Tunbridge has had a horrific run with injuries over his four seasons, restricting him to just 10 games.

Star ruckman Nic Naitanui ruptured his ACL four months ago, opting for a traditional surgery, and is already helping Tunbridge out.

"Simon was quite flat obviously coming off the incident, but Nic's been good in that respect. He's given him a focus," Vozzo said.