North Melbourne ruckman Majak Daw will be sidelined for the next two months, after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on Friday afternoon.
Daw reported discomfort in his knee after training on Monday, with the club discovering a tear in his meniscus.
“There was no warning of any issues prior to Monday so this was an unexpected and unfortunate setback,” General Manager of Football Cameron Joyce said.
“We discovered a tear in his meniscus so he was immediately referred to a specialist.
“It’s too difficult to put a timeframe on his return to full fitness at this stage, but we are confident he’ll be available in the opening rounds of the season.
“We’ll know the extent of damage and amount of recovery time required after the surgery has been performed. At that point we will provide a further update to our members.”