JAEGER O'Meara has had successful surgery on his torn patella tendon and will not play again this season.
The exciting Gold Coast midfielder sustained the injury last Saturday, playing a practise match for the Suns reserves against the Brisbane Lions reserves.
He was on the way back from off-season surgery to both knees, but the club insists the injuries were totally unrelated.
Despite the severity of the setback, Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade said it could have been much worse.
"The good news out of the bad news is his patella tendon was intact," Eade said.
"He didn't sever that, he didn't rupture that, he pulled it off the bone. That was the extreme force that went through his leg when it was hyperextended."
O'Meara, 21, had the operation on Thursday night.
"The surgeon said it went as well as was expected. He'll be back running by about October," Eade said.
