ANTHONY Morabito will undergo a minor operation on his troublesome left knee on Thursday that is expected to sideline him for up to three weeks.
It was revealed on Tuesday that Morabito was experiencing ongoing soreness in the knee that has been reconstructed three times.
He was visibly limping at the Dockers' team photo session in Fremantle on Tuesday afternoon.
After consulting a specialist, Fremantle confirmed on Wednesday that Morabito would require surgery to repair some cartilage issues that have been hampering him throughout the pre-season.
The recovery time from the surgery is expected to be two to three weeks.
The 23-year-old was one of the feel good stories of 2014. He returned to the Dockers side in round 16 against Melbourne after three knee reconstructions had kept him out of football since an eye-catching debut season in 2010.
He played three consecutive matches, two as the substitute, before losing his place following Fremantle's round 18 loss to St Kilda.
Morabito then hurt his knee again at training in early September, which effectively ended his season.
Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich said on Tuesday that Morabito was understandably frustrated with his knee soreness but that the youngster had endured far worse.
"I've seen him frustrated for a number of years," Pavlich said.
"Anyone that's had the history that he's had with his knees and other areas of his body - understandably he's had frustrations.
"It's just been a stop-start career unfortunately for him and that's where the strong group behind him need to get along and support him.
“That's certainly been the case for him again throughout this pre-season whilst he's been in the rehab group."
Morabito signed a one-year deal with the Dockers for the 2015 season.
