MAX Gawn's time will not be wasted this year as he recovers from his knee reconstruction.

The Demon ruckman will be the first player to pass through a new program Melbourne has introduced to support players with long-term injuries.

The program, initiated by the club's director of sports performance Neil Craig (who has a degree in sports science) and refined by the coaching group, will be called 'The Progression Program' and will aim to improve players in a range of areas as they engage in their rehabilitation.

"We don't want to have lost time," said midfield development coach Aaron Greaves.

Coaches know that too often a long-term injury to a player means lost time in more ways than just games played. Removed from the structure that training and games provide, and often isolated from the group while in rehab, players can battle to progress as a footballer (and beyond the game) while recovering from a long-term injury.

Greaves said the program was designed so that players in Gawn's position continue to engage in their rehab with an elite mindset. Someone with an elite mindset uses any available time to get better, regardless of circumstances. That's the mindset Melbourne wants its young footballers to carry.

In this program coach and player will mutually develop a holistic and structured program that supports the player to improve physically, mentally and become better educated while on the sidelines.

Players may spend more time studying. They may receive mentoring from players with similar injury histories. They may undertake personal and leadership opportunities, learning new ways of doing things or finding new strengths in the process.

They will also use the time to continue with their football education, increasing the likelihood they will be better prepared after the injury than they were before it happened. 

What they won't do is sit around between rehab sessions watching television or mucking around on PlayStation.

Greaves, who apart from his coaching expertise has a teaching background and experience in athlete development with the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) said maintaining structure was important to ensure a player was in good shape off the field when he was physically right to go again on the field.

"We can keep Max on a structured program,” said Greaves. "It will keep him really motivated."

Gawn is a willing participant (he will in effect be a pilot for the program) and motivated to return with his life even better than it was before he was injured.

He will begin study as a PE teacher at Deakin University and is ready to embrace the possibilities the progression program might provide.

Gawn explained that one of the most difficult aspects of his injury initially was that he went from being at the club six days a week to two, perhaps three days a week.

This program will ensure that extra time suddenly available to him is used productively. He said he intends to use the next nine to 12 months to get to where he should have been (apart, obviously, from games experience) if the injury had not happened.

Greaves is looking forward to supporting Gawn and is sure the lessons they learn together will help make the program a strong part of Melbourne’s culture in the future.

"It's not: 'OK, you're injured so you can take a backward step'," said Greaves. "We utilise this time to get the most out of Max we possibly can."