A DISSOLVING artificial ligament has given Adelaide ruckman Brad Moran a shot at playing finals football in 2009.

The 22-year-old will begin full training next week in a bid to be fit for the first week of finals after a rapid recovery from knee surgery.

Moran was in the best form of his short career when he injured his knee in an innocuous-looking incident against the Sydney Swans in round 13.

He was found to have ruptured his posterior cruciate ligament and expected to miss three months. But a revolutionary procedure has put the former Kangaroo well ahead of schedule.

Moran’s damaged knee is being held together by an artificial ligament which will dissolve over time as the old ligament gradually repairs itself.

"Instead of grafting a piece of quad or hamstring, which after 12 weeks can put you in contention for a strain or a tear because the muscle is weak, the surgeons use an artificial ligament which attaches to the bone and is rock-solid straight away," Moran told afc.com.au.

"The artificial ligament dissolves over the course of four-six years apparently…but the artificial ligaments have only been around two years so they don’t actually know for sure yet.

"I was a bit of a guinea pig, but I’m an aggressive person by nature. I was desperate to get back, so when the surgeon offered the procedure to me I said: ‘yes, give me the quickest option’."

The artificial ligament allowed Moran to begin his rehabilitation straight away.

He has spent an average of four hours a day in the weights room during his eight-week lay-off and is now on the verge of returning to the field.

"The knee is pulling up fairly well after training at the moment. The strength in the joint is really good and the flexibility is getting much better. Everything is coming along as planned if not better," Moran said.

"It’s quite a monotonous stage of rehab, but it’s coming to the nicer end and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Moran was selected ahead of Jon Griffin and James Sellar when he played seven consecutive games between rounds seven and 13, but now faces a battle to regain his spot.

Griffin, who has missed most of the season with a hip injury, is back in solid form with Central Districts and Sellar has performed admirably as a backup to Ivan Maric.

"The other guys are doing a pretty good job at the moment, but I’d like to think there’s a position there for me when I come back. I’m hoping to come back for finals and make a big impact," Moran said.

"It won’t be easy to get back into the team, but I think I’ve done a bit this year to prove that I’m well capable of playing in the ruck and around the ground."