St Kilda’s Brad Crouch will miss up to eight weeks after underdoing surgery on his knee.
The veteran midfielder had an interrupted pre-season battling the same knee injury and looked in discomfort in St Kilda’s Round 1 loss to Geelong.
He was subsequently dropped and only managed to play a half for Sandringham against Collingwood on Friday.
Crouch had post-season surgery at the end of 2023 and has undergone similar surgery on Tuesday.
St Kilda's Head Of Football David Mission confirmed the news on Tuesday.
“Brad had surgery on his knee yesterday to address the issue, which will take about six to eight weeks to rehab,” Misson said.
“We do have some players closing in on a return though, so through list depth and injury returns, we’ll look to fill the gaps with a next man up mentality.”
Crouch’s injury adds to a growing list for Ross Lyon’s Saints with Dougal Howard (hamstring), Liam Henry (hamstring), Mason Wood (collarbone), Paddy Dow (knee) and Hunter Clark (facial fracture) all set to miss an extended period of time.
St Kilda will face Essendon on Saturday afternoon.