Young Geelong forward Mitch Brown will undergo surgery on his left leg later this week. Brown will have the plate that was inserted last year after he suffered a break to the leg taken out, and also have a bone spur removed.

“Mitch will be back running in about six weeks and we expect him back playing in around 12 weeks,” Geelong’s general manager of football Neil Balme said.

“The surgeon is pleased with the state of the ankle joint, which also suffered significant damage last year when Mitch was hurt. The plate that was put in place along his fibula will be taken out and he will also have a bone spur that has developed between his tibia and fibula removed, as that has been causing him pain in the leg.

“Mitch will have a long career with us and the injury he suffered was significant, so we will not rush him back. He had some pain in the area recently and we sent him for more tests to ascertain what the issue was. After consulting with the surgeon it was agreed that this is the best course of action.”

Brown suffered a break to his leg in the final VFL practice match against Collingwood last year. He had impressed in the pre-season, kicking eight goals in four games before the injury.

The 19 year old Brown was the Cats first draft selection in the 2008 national draft.