MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 28: Daniel Menzel of the Cats celebrates a goal during the 2015 AFL round 22 match between the Geelong Cats and the Collingwood Magpies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on August 28, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Luckless Geelong player Daniel Menzel says he is confident his 2016 form can be even better than in 2011, when he suffered the first of four ACL injuries.

Menzel played his first game in 1450 days in round 22 last season against Collingwood, booting four goals in a brilliant return from four knee reconstructions.

But despite a nightmare run with injuries, the 24-year-old is setting the bar high for 2016.

"As long as I can manage my knee as much as possible, in my eyes I can't see why I couldn't be a better player than I was in 2011," Menzel said.

However, Menzel did admit that some mental scars still remain.

"There's still little things, agility and tackling, these sort of things, where I'm nowhere near where I want to be," Menzel said.

"I probably don't go into a contest and think about it but I do realise after and look back and (see that) I probably wasn't 100 per cent there, I wasn't as low as what I could have been.

"It is a massive mental battle. We were doing some one-on-one stuff before and I occasionally get sore in the knee, and it's frustrating because I can't do it at 100 per cent.

"But I just have to tell myself that every single contest is going to make me better and it's going to make me stronger."

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