ESSENDON skipper Jobe Watson could be out for the rest of the season after scans have revealed a "very uncommon" hip injury.

Watson will undergo surgery to repair a ruptured rectus femoris tendon after injuring his hip in the final quarter of the Bombers' 15-point win over Greater Western Sydney on Saturday night.

It was initially expected Watson would miss about a month, however club doctor Bruce Reid said the scans revealed the damage was worse than thought and he is now set to miss eight to 10 weeks. 

"Jobe has suffered a tear to the rectus femoris tendon right where it is attached to the hip bone which is a very uncommon injury," Reid said.

"The sooner you can sew the two ends back together, the better the healing will be, so he will go in for surgery in the next few days.

"We will not rush him through the recovery process, it is important that we do what is right for Jobe both in the short and long term."

Watson will have surgery on Tuesday and hopes to make it back before finals.

"I think the timeframe is a bit irrelevant because I just want to make sure that the injury heals properly and make sure it is right," Watson said.

"But it would be great to come back and if the team is playing finals then it would be wonderful to be part of it, but the priority is for the injury to heal first."