That would seem unlikely as the injured sprint sensation yesterday said he would go into Monday's running of the $10,000 Maryborough Gift with low expectations.

The gift would, on passing a fitness test, mark his return to the track after a groin/hip injury forced him out of action for about a month.

"I expect to go there and at least finish, but I can't hope for much more than that," Frangos said.

"I'm not expecting anything huge."

He visited his physiotherapist yesterday, hoping some treatment would help improve his fitness.

It seemed like de ja vu for Frangos, who went through a similar process leading into his win at Maryborough.

He was troubled with a stress fracture in his leg in the weeks before the 2003 gift.

Frangos said having to deal with the stress fracture made it an even more memorable run.

"I wasn't even going to run that day because I also had my girlfriend flying out to Sweden the following day," he said.

"It wasn't my fastest time, but it was against a quality field.

"It was an incredible day."

Frangos had targeted the 2005-06 season as the one where he would come of age in the sport.

But his only race this season - a club relay in late November - ended in disaster.

He re-injured muscles in his right groin/hip area, which had troubled him a month earlier.

"This season was supposed to be injury free, but you could not have planned for what has happened," Frangos said.

"It's an annoying injury.

"I might not feel it for a while when I'm running, but when I go a bit harder it grabs."

Frangos had hoped to be in prime condition for this season's blue-ribbon events such as this week's Bay Sheffield in Adelaide, and gifts at Maryborough, Ballarat, and Stawell.

But he will be anything but fully fit.

Physiotherapist Simon Ellis, of Lake Physiotheraphy, worked on Frangos for about 30 minutes yesterday.

"The initial problem was a muscle strain," Mr Ellis said.

"Subsequent to that he's developed some biomechanical restrictions where some muscles have maintained a protective spasm around his pelvis, and that's what's maintaining his current symptoms."

Frangos will do his best to gain as many positives as he can from his disastrous season.

"I will just to try salvage as much as I can from this season," Frangos said.

"I want to come back next season red hot."