Geelong ruckman/forward Nathan Vardy will be sidelined for up to six weeks after suffering a foot ligament sprain in last weekend’s VFL practice game against North Ballarat at Simonds Stadium.

Vardy suffered the injury when his opponent's knee landed on his foot following a marking contest. The injury does not require surgery.

“This was just an unlucky incident during the game,” Geelong’s general manager of football, Steve Hocking, said.

“The good news is that there is no surgery required and we expect this injury to heal over the next month.

"Nathan will be in a boot for a couple of weeks as he continues to heal from this injury.”