MELBOURNE's AFLW hopes have been struck by a significant blow, with superstar Tayla Harris ruled out for the rest of the season after more scans on her troublesome left shoulder.

It's understood Harris went through a further round of scans on Tuesday night that determined a high risk of structural damage by playing through, with a call subsequently made to undergo surgery.

The supremely talented key-position star will subsequently miss the remainder of the campaign, having dealt with the left shoulder issue throughout the club's lead-up to the 2024 AFLW season.

Harris underwent surgery on her right shoulder last December, before dislocating her left shoulder during a pre-season camp on the eve of the season. But the Demons had been confident in her ability to feature in round one after she went through a six-week block of contact training before the year.

But, after tweaking the injury early on in Saturday night's thrilling win over Geelong, Harris then dislocated her shoulder once again following a strong tackle just after half-time and was withdrawn for "precautionary" reasons in the third term.

Melbourne held on for a crucial two-point win over Geelong, though its finals hopes have since suffered a significant blow following the extent of Harris' injury.

The Demons played Harris forward during Saturday night's clash at GMHBA Stadium, though had been hopeful of throwing the 27-year-old into an intercepting role in defence at times this year.