Surgery blow confirmed for premiership Cat

Geelong veteran Cameron Guthrie has required surgery on a troublesome Achilles injury that has riddled his past year.

Guthrie played just four games at senior level last year, initially facing delays due to a pre-season quad strain before the Achilles matter saw him out of Chris Scott's side from mid-May.

The 32-year-old was placed on a cautious recovery program over the summer to get him prepared for the start of the coming campaign, only for Guthrie to continue dealing with soreness and discomfort.

The two-time Carji Greeves Medal winner has since gone under the knife, extending his time in the Kardinia Park casualty ward.

The Cats are yet to determine a return-to-play timeline for the premiership midfielder.

"Our medical and high-performance team are confident that surgery was the best step for Cameron to fully recover and give himself the best chance to perform," Cats football boss Andrew Mackie said.

"The aim for Cameron is to be back on the track in the next fortnight and integrated into football drills within the month. A return to play timeline will be finalised in the early stages of the season."

Guthrie has played just 10 games since Geelong's 2022 premiership win, with a foot injury also hindering the later stages of his career.

Geelong is also currently without Toby Conway (back), Shaun Mannagh (foot) and Xavier Ivisic (ankle) for the time being, with Mannagh the only sidelined Cat in the mix to play Opening Round.

Geelong's season gets underway on Thursday, March 6 against reigning premiers Brisbane at the Gabba in Opening Round, with that contest followed by a maiden home game at GMHBA Stadium the following Saturday against Fremantle for Round 1.