Essendon young gun Andrew McGrath will miss at least six weeks after suffering a syndesmosis injury, putting the remainder of his AFL season in doubt.

McGrath twisted his ankle in the second quarter of Tuesday night’s loss to West Coast and is set to see a specialist to determine whether he will require surgery – but will be sidelined for at least six weeks.

The 22-year-old will miss Essendon’s three remaining regular-season games, then would be hard-pressed to feature in a potential finals campaign if the Bombers make the top eight.

“Andrew has sustained a moderate-grade syndesmosis injury. These injuries can be managed either surgically or conservatively,” Essendon’s head of medical services David Rundle said.

“He will have a consultation with an orthopaedic surgeon in Brisbane tomorrow to determine whether he should undergo a surgical stabilisation procedure.

“Either way he would typically be expected to miss a minimum of six weeks.”

McGrath had averaged 23 disposals and five clearances in 13 games before the West Coast game, playing predominantly through the midfield.

Meanwhile, veteran ruckman Tom Bellchambers (knee) and young tall Aaron Francis (hamstring) have been ruled out of Sunday’s clash with Geelong.

Orazio Fantasia (calf) is still five-to-six weeks away but forward Jayden Laverde could push to return from his own ankle injury in next Saturday’s clash with Port Adelaide.