Geelong champion Jimmy Bartel will miss at least two months of AFL football after scans revealed a torn medial ligament in his left knee.
Bartel, 31, suffered the injury in the first quarter of Sunday's gritty win over Gold Coast when his leg buckled inwards dramatically in a collision with the Suns' Michael Rischitelli.
The club said in a statement on Tuesday the Brownlow medallist would be operated on by renowned knee specialist Julian Feller on Thursday.
The news is a significant blow for the Cats who suffered a heavy injury toll in the nine-point win at Simonds Stadium.
Mathew Stokes (Achilles) and Tom Lonergan (concussion) were also knocked out of the game, with the club to issue an update on Wednesday on their status ahead of this week's clash against North Melbourne.
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They join a lengthy injury list that includes Andrew Mackie (quad) and Jared Rivers (knee) amongst others.
Lonergan was stretchered from the ground in the third quarter after a heavy collision but coach Chris Scott said the defender was displaying positive signs soon after the match.
The coach acknowledged the sensitive nature of recovery from concussion but was hopeful Lonergan would be available for Sunday's clash against the Kangaroos at Simonds Stadium.
"One thing I will say about Tom's situation is if you're a so-called external expert, I think you should be really careful around the issues around concussion for individual players when you've never set eyes on them," Scott said.
"If you want to help, come in and see him face to face, get a feel for the situation, speak to the experts that we have internally before you spout off for self-indulgent reasons."
