Gold Coast recruit Michael Barlow's AFL season is over after he underwent surgery to repair a fractured leg suffered in the Suns' 10-point loss to Carlton.
The ex-Fremantle player, who endured a horror break to the same leg in his debut season in 2010, crumpled in a tackle midway through the final term of Saturday's clash at Metricon Stadium.
Barlow immediately signalled for assistance and was taken off on a stretcher, with the Blues charging home in the final minutes after the injury break to secure the win.
The 29-year-old was taken to hospital straight after the game and underwent surgery on Sunday morning.
"Scans last night revealed Michael had fractured his left fibula, but the good news from a medical perspective is that the surgery was a success,'' Suns football boss Marcus Ashcroft said.
"We will now focus on ensuring Michael is pain free and make sure he gets through the next period of time.
"Michael is as positive as can be, at this early stage it's believed he will resume running in approximately three months, which means he will be up and running when pre-season gets underway.
"Unfortunately Michael has been down a similar path before, and even though the injury isn't as severe this time, he knows what's ahead and we will be with him every step of the way."
Barlow's injury completed a miserable night for the Suns, with coach Rodney Eade admitting his team simply hadn't turned up in a first half where the Blues threatened to blow the hosts away.
Key players Tom Lynch and Gary Ablett were highlighted by Eade following the loss and he has promised changes for next Sunday's away clash with St Kilda.
"Even though we got up in front, we didn't deserve to win," Eade said.
"We're looking at consistency, we didn't get that (on Saturday) and we're looking to bounce back next week."
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