GEELONG skipper Joel Selwood is set to miss the Cats' NAB Challenge matches against Collingwood and Melbourne after undergoing foot surgery.

But the club is confident that the star midfielder, who has been troubled by foot soreness for a number of weeks, will be fully fit by the start of the home and away season.

"Joel has an irritation in his foot that was not settling as quickly as we expected," said Geelong's head of sports science and medicine, Peter Stanton. 

"We envisage that as a result of the surgery being fairly minor he will be back running in two to three weeks."

Injuries are a rare thing for Selwood. Since debuting in the opening round of the 2007 season, he has played 160 of a possible 173 games.

"I've been very lucky that during my career, and I'm hoping that I'll be back playing with the team within the coming weeks," he said.

"The Cats have been fantastic in managing me through the pain in my foot, and after various tests and consultations it was decided the best option for me was to undergo surgery."

Selwood is likely to be sidelined for Geelong's NAB Challenge opener against Collingwood at Simonds Stadium on Wednesday, February 12 and the Cats' second match against Melbourne in Alice Springs on Friday, February 28.

If his recovery goes to plan, he should be fit to play in Geelong's final practice match against North Melbourne at Simonds Stadium on Friday, March 7.

Twitter: @AFL_AdamMcNicol