Scott Selwood's injury woes have continued with the Geelong midfielder in doubt for the start of the AFL season after undergoing ankle surgery.
The 27-year-old experienced increasing pain and stiffness on returning to training after the Christmas break and underwent an arthroscopy on his right ankle.
"The decision for surgery was made as the club's medical staff believe it will give Scott the best chance of missing minimal football going forward," Geelong football boss Simon Lloyd said.
"Scott will now begin a rehab program with his recovery expected to take approximately six to eight weeks."
Selwood has struggled with ankle, toe and hamstring injuries since joining the Cats from West Coast ahead of the 2016 AFL season.
He is yet to play in round one for Geelong and has featured in 19 of a possible 49 games over the past two campaigns, after 135 senior appearances in eight seasons with the Eagles.
Selwood expressed confidence he was over his injury concerns in an interview with the Geelong Advertiser just two weeks before his latest setback.
