FORGOTTEN Tiger Kelvin Moore has suffered through six surgeries and missed the entire 2011 season but is hoping to play a key part in the Tigers' 2012 campaign.

And the 27-year-old defender puts his commitment to getting back on the paddock through such an arduous time down to the way the Tigers have developed under Damien Hardwick.

"I'm not sure I would have gone through all this if I didn't think Richmond were heading in the right direction, because you can't just keep having surgery," Moore told the Herald Sun.

"But we've got one of the best coaching groups now and the players are really developing so ... in the next three, four, five years they're going to be right up there."

A hip complaint in 2010 led to six surgeries, the most serious of which was an osteotomy nearly five months where his hip socket was cut out and rotated in order to provide more coverage over the head of the femur and then pinned with 18-20cm screws.

So serious was the surgery that doctors could not promise Moore that he would play football again.

"I was told it wasn't 100 per cent I would ever play again, which is pretty hard to take," Moore said.

"All of a sudden football could be taken away from you all together and it's something you've grown up loving and have been playing in the AFL for coming up to my 10th season. I don't know any different.

"When it is taken away from you it's pretty hard to swallow, but ... there's many more people out there less fortunate than me."

Moore, who has played 84 games, had the last of his surgeries on December 22.

He is now only weeks away from running but won't rush back.

"I haven't started running yet. I'll do a bit of skipping and a bit of jogging in the next week or two," Moore said.

"And then, because I've missed so much, it will extend the rehab period.

"If I can be back around round one doing some really good training or maybe even playing VFL then I'd be pretty happy.

"I've had nearly 18 months off now, what's the point in rushing back and trying to get ahead of schedule by a week or two rather than get back and be strong ... so I can actually play the season out'."

One of the most reliable key defenders at the club, the Tigers will be thrilled by the prospect of having Moore back shoring up the defence at some point in 2012.