GEELONG superstar Patrick Dangerfield is headed for surgery to repair his nasty ankle injury. 

As revealed by AFL.com.au, Dangerfield's syndesmosis setback sustained in Sunday's win over North Melbourne was worse than first feared. 

Speaking post-game, Dangerfield felt he had suffered only a minor tweak. 

Now, after spending the past three days meeting with specialists, including a trip to Sydney, the Cats have decided to put the Brownlow medallist under the knife. 

The Cats will hope they'll be able to have Dangerfield return to the field inside two months. 

"It was felt the best course of action was for Dangerfield to undergo surgery," Geelong said in a statement on Wednesday night.

"Dangerfield will be out of action indefinitely with his rehabilitation and recovery from the injury determining his return to play."

MEDICAL ROOM The full AFL injury list

It is a further blow to the Cats' underwhelming start to the season which currently stands at 3-2 after nail-biting wins over Hawthorn and Brisbane. 

Coach Chris Scott declared Jeremy Cameron a certain starter to return from his back-to-back hamstring injuries against West Coast on Saturday when speaking post-game on Sunday. 

However, captain Joel Selwood tempered expectations on Cameron when speaking on Tuesday, insisting the 2019 Coleman medallist would need to pass training this week. 

Esava Ratugolea will come into the selection frame after two matches back in the VFL from a fractured leg, while Sam Simpson will play his first game of the season at the lower level after a quad setback stalled his return from a shoulder injury.