Hawks captain Roughead has knee surgery

Hawthorn skipper Jarryd Roughead won't lead his teammates on a pre-season tour of New Zealand after undergoing knee surgery.

Jarryd Roughead is unlikely to be back in AFL training before Christmas after minor knee surgery.

Hawks football boss Jason Burt said the "minor clean up procedure" meant the 30-year-old would miss the club's pre-season camp in New Zealand.

"This is obviously disappointing for Jarryd to miss out on pre-season camp however he remains positive and will now concentrate on his rehab," he said.

"This is only a minor set-back and we expect Jarryd to be fresh and ready for the start of the season."

The Hawthorn captain showed swelling to his left knee and club doctors have suggested a layoff of up to three weeks.

Roughead missed the opening two months of the 2016 season due to a PCL injury to his right knee.