FREMANTLE midfielder Lachie Neale will have a slow start to the pre-season after requiring shoulder and wrist surgery in September.

Neale, 23, led the AFL for total disposals and total contested possessions this season and made the All Australian 40-man squad for the second-straight year.

But he battled with soreness all season and was managed with his training loads throughout the year.

Neale had surgery on his right shoulder on Thursday morning to repair some ligament damage after suffering the injury late in the season. He played with it strapped in the last two rounds against Greater Western Sydney and the Western Bulldogs.

He will also have surgery on his right wrist that he damaged earlier in the year. The surgery will take place once he has sufficiently recovered from his shoulder operation.

Neale will be able to begin running at the start of pre-season in November but won't be able to participate in full training until mid-December.

Fremantle big man Tanner Smith will also have surgery after badly damaging his hamstring playing in the WAFL on the weekend.

The 22-year-old injured his hamstring in the round 13 win over Port Adelaide.

He missed eight weeks before returning in the WAFL a fortnight ago. He played the first game back on limited minutes but then injured his hamstring far more severely last weekend. It is understood he will fly to Melbourne for the surgery.

Smith has had a wretched run with injuries in his four seasons on the Dockers' list.

The 196cm Victorian has played just four AFL games since he was recruited with pick No.36 in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft.

He was delisted and redrafted as a rookie last year but is out of contract again and his future remains in doubt.