North Melbourne young gun Tarryn Thomas is set for surgery on his injured left foot and will miss the rest of the AFL season.
Thomas suffered a syndesmosis injury against Essendon in round six when his leg was pinned underneath an opposition player in a tackle.
He missed the round seven loss to Richmond and North Melbourne general manager of football Brady Rawlings said the club had consulted several specialists before opting for surgery.
“The specialists advised intervention was necessary on this occasion,” Rawlings said.
“It’s very unfortunate for Tarryn and for the team but we always make decisions based on professional opinion, and with the long-term health and wellbeing of our players front of mind.”
Thomas, 20, has played 26 games for North Melbourne since being drafted at Pick 8 in the 2018 AFL draft and earned a Rising Star nomination last year.