Luckless Melbourne defender Joel Smith will undergo surgery after injuring his ankle in the Demons' AFL win against Hawthorn.
Smith will miss between eight to 10 weeks after fracturing a bone on the inside of his ankle.
The 26-year-old has been playing a valuable role in Melbourne's decimated backline this year.
Smith was one of the hard-luck stories of the Demons' run to the 2021 premiership after hurting his hamstring in the first week of the finals before being ruled out for the preliminary final.
Fellow defender Michael Hibberd has suffered a minor setback as the veteran attempts to overcome a persistent calf injury.
Hibberd has not played an AFL game since last year's grand final and will have to wait a bit longer to feature at VFL level for the Demons.
Melbourne are gunning for a 15th-straight AFL win when they play St Kilda at the MCG on Sunday.
