BRISBANE defender Darcy Gardiner will take five months to recover from surgery to his dislocated right shoulder.

Gardiner will undergo the procedure on Tuesday afternoon after suffering the injury in the opening quarter of Saturday night's 31-point loss to Collingwood.

It's a sad way to finish the season for the 22-year-old, who has been one of the Lions' best in his 20 games, getting the better of many of his opponents including Lance Franklin and Jeremy Cameron.

"Darcy’s had a wonderfully consistent year for us and has formed an integral part in the growth of our backline," Lions general manager of football David Noble said.

"We look forward to his return in the 2019 pre-season."

The club expects Gardiner to take five months to recover, which would see him join in pre-season training just either side of the Christmas break.