The rising star will miss the start of the season after he underwent an operation to repair the lateral meniscal tear in his right knee on Thursday.
“We opted to repair it and retain as much of the cartilage as possible with the utmost consideration given to Ryan’s long term health,” North Melbourne’s doctor Dan Bates told kangaroos.com.au.
Bastinac will miss between three and four months of football and will be on crutches for the next four weeks after landing awkwardly during a training drill on Wednesday.
“Ryan is very positive about the approach we’ve taken and his upcoming rehabilitation. While we may have taken a few games off the start of his year, this procedure will certainly be beneficial for him in the long-term,” Bates added.
“The surgery went according to plan and Ryan is in good spirits.”
Bastinac joins Hamish McIntosh, Nathan Grima and Ed Lower on the longer term injury list.
“We will not be seduced into rushing players back. We took the same direction with Hamish, Nathan and Ed who all had pre-existing injuries.”
