GOLD Coast has been dealt an injury blow, with versatile tall Joel Jeffrey suffering a stress reaction in his foot.

Jeffrey left the field in the second half of Sunday's loss to Carlton and testing confirmed the bad news for the 21-year-old.

He will now miss six to eight weeks and likely be available late in the home-and-away season.

Jeffrey started the year in the Suns' forward line, but after being dropped and spending a stint in the VFL, returned to play matches in his hometown of Darwin against the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide as a defender.

The languid Academy product excelled in the two wins, with his ability to read the ball in the air and create damage with his precise kicking a huge plus.

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Jeffrey long bomb beats them all

Joel Jeffrey gets on the scoreboard after kicking it from well beyond the arc

Published on Jun 3, 2023

Jeffrey has played 16 games across three seasons, including seven this year.

Running defender Lachie Weller is closing in on a return, but will need to get through Thursday's main training to put his hand up for selection for the first time in eight weeks after suffering swelling around his knee.