Port Adelaide onballer David Rodan has had a third knee reconstruction after being failed by the radical LARS procedure.

But Rodan again opted for the same LARS operation when his left knee was reconstructed for a second time on Monday night.

In December last year, Rodan's left knee was reconstructed by the ligament augmentation and reconstruction system (LARS), which uses industrial strength polyester fibres to replace torn natural ligament.

The midfielder returned in round four and was a key contributor for the remainder of Port's 2010 season.

But at training last Friday, the 27-year-old heard a pop in the knee with the synthetic ligament later found to have frayed.

"It was just a pretty innocuous movement which he has done a thousand times since he's had the operation," Port coach Matthew Primus said on Tuesday.

Rodan, who had his right knee reconstructed by conventional surgery in 2005 when playing for Richmond, immediately requested another LARS procedure.

"Going down the regular way, if you want to call it that, his season is gone for next year," Primus said.

"With these new ways about going about doing the knees there's always some things that can go wrong and unfortunately it has.

"Obviously the reason you have a LARS is to not only get back in the game sooner, but it's a little bit stronger than the regular way, so he's disappointed with that.

"At least he has been through it all before, but he's a little bit anxious about it."

Adelaide United soccer player Joe Costa also had his LARS procedure fail him earlier this month.

"I suppose in five, 10 years time we'll know how successful it is once we have had a lot more people do it," Primus said.

"But the ability to come back quicker is fantastic and there has been quite a few guys who have done them (LARS) and haven't had any problems with it."

Meanwhile, Port defender Jacob Surjan has been dumped from a newly formed leadership group.

Surjan was a vice-captain in 2010 but overlooked for a seven-strong leadership group including captain Dom Cassisi, Dean Brogan, Troy Chaplin, Travis Boak, Alipate Carlile, Jay Schulz and Jackson Trengove.

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