Geelong forward Daniel Menzel could be playing again by round 10 as the AFL youngster makes an impressive recovery from a knee reconstruction.

Menzel ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during last September’s qualifying final over Hawthorn.

The injury was a rare setback as the Cats went on to win their third premiership in five seasons.

Menzel, 20, won a Rising Star nomination last season after making his AFL debut in 2010.

“I’ve been so pleased with how it (his recovery) has gone,” Menzel told the AFL website.

“I’ve been sitting down with the physios and the other medical staff and we reckon we’re ahead of schedule at the moment.

“Hopefully somewhere around round 10 … I will come back through the VFL.

“It used to be said that you needed to have a year off after a knee reconstruction, but nowadays there’s a lot of blokes coming back in nine months.”

Menzel needed a second operation soon after the reconstruction because the knee swelled more than was normal and it needed to be cleaned out.

But his recovery and rehabilitation have since gone smoothly.

Meanwhile, Hawthorn ruckman David Hale will miss this Friday night’s opening round of the pre-season cup with an ankle injury.

The Hawks take on Richmond and North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.