The Cats had been managing Selwood through the pain in the foot but decided for surgery as the best option.
Geelong Cats Head of Sports Science and Medicine, Peter Stanton, said that whilst the Cats had been managing the injury it wasn't proceeding as would be liked.
“Joel has an irritation in his foot that was not settling as quickly as we expected.” Stanton said.
“We envisage that as a result of the surgery being fairly minor he will be back running in two to three weeks.”
Selwood said he was confident of joining his teammates on the track shortly.
“I've been very lucky that during my career, I've only missed six games due to injury and I'm hoping that I'll be back playing with the team within the coming weeks.” Selwood 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.”
Geelong’s first NAB Cup game is scheduled for Wednesday 12 February against Collingwood at Simonds Stadium. With Selwood not expected to resume running for two – three weeks, he would be unlikely to feature in that game.
The Cats will also face Melbourne in Alice Springs and North Melbourne at Simonds Stadium during the pre-season.
Selwood has shown great durability since debuting in the opening round of 2007, playing 160 of 173 games.
