St Kilda skipper Jarryn Geary hopes to be running in approximately six weeks after breaking his left leg at a training session with the AFL club.
Geary was rushed off for scans on Friday morning, having left the field after a marking contest.
The Saints’ fears have been confirmed and Geary will undergo surgery on Friday afternoon to repair the fractured fibula.
Geary missed the majority of the 2019 season after fracturing his left fibula in China, an injury that occurred upon his return from a badly corked thigh that required three rounds of surgery.
The veteran’s latest setback has cast doubt on his playing future, coming after he signed a one-year contract extension in 2020 after helping snap the Saints’ nine-year finals drought.
But the club is backing the determined 32-year-old to get back on the park soon.
“Knowing Jarryn, he will do everything he can to be back as quickly as possible to contribute to the team in early 2021,” Saints chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said.
“Given his previous injuries, it’s obviously frustrating.
“But the positive for Jarryn is that he’s been here before and we have full faith he’ll attack his rehab with the same professionalism and intensity.
“We had a number of guys step up last year and take their opportunities and this year will be no different.”
The Saints’ campaign starts on March 21 when they face GWS at Giants Stadium.
The club is yet to announce their leadership group for 2021 and/or who might lead the club in Geary’s absence.
Geary is a much-loved figure at St Kilda, having started on the club’s rookie list before being appointed Nick Riewoldt’s successor as captain in 2017.
“Gears is one of the best leaders in the game and his influence on our group and our entire club is enormous,” coach Brett Ratten said last year.
“He is an incredibly resilient person.”
The luckless defender battled compartment syndrome in 2019, a painful condition more commonly associated with car crashes than on-field collisions.