MELBOURNE'S Mitch Hannan is confident he can manage a persistent knee problem through this year's finals series.

Hannan went into last Friday night's elimination final clash against Geelong coming off a six-day break following a starring role in the VFL where he kicked three goals for Casey to push his way back into the senior team.

That performance, which included a spectacular hanger, was a reminder for selectors of Hannan's significant talent after the forward was a late withdrawal with a knee complaint from the Demons' round 23 side.

"It's (the knee) been niggling for a while. So the best thing at the time was to have that week off," Hannan told AFL.com.au.

"There were a few nerves about whether I would be able to find my way back into the side for the finals.

"But thankfully enough it panned out the way it did.

"In terms of how the body feels I was comfortable going into the game physically and I seem to have pulled up pretty well so hopefully I can continue that through the finals series."

The 24-year-old returned to Melbourne's senior side for its finals-securing 17-point win over West Coast in round 22 after missing a fortnight with the same troublesome knee problem in July.