LUKE McDonald's unlucky run with injury continues with the 26-year-old set to be sidelined for around 10-12 weeks after tearing his pectoral.

McDonald will undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair the damaged muscle - an injury he sustained during a tackle (watch the incident in the player below) late in the first quarter of Sunday's clash with Adelaide.  

The club's co-vice-captain was playing in his first game of the season after recovering from a quad injury.

"It's a really unlucky type of injury, and it's really disappointing for us given we missed Luke at the start of the year," North Melbourne football manager Brady Rawlings said.

"We've gone to the specialists and the recommendation is for surgery so Luke will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair the torn pec. To get full function and to get back to full strength the best way to go about it is to have surgery.

"At this stage we think a recovery period in rehab probably around 10-12 weeks so [we] expect to see Luke well after the bye."

It is a huge loss for North, and a disappointing blow for McDonald, who won the club's Syd Barker Medal last year on the back of a breakout season.