Geelong’s Nakia Cockatoo has departed the club’s Gold Coast hub, returning home to undergo wrist surgery.

Cockatoo, 23, suffered the wrist injury during a recent practice match in Queensland.

“Nakia was able to play through his wrist issue for a number of weeks, but we made the decision last week to prioritise what is best for him long-term which meant sending him home to Victoria for surgery,” Geelong’s General Manager of Football Simon Lloyd said.

“Nakia will have surgery later this week in Melbourne, and begin a rehab program immediately as he looks towards 2021.

“Nakia and his partner Grace are awaiting the arrival of their first child as well, and we wish them all the best in this exciting time of their lives.”

Cockatoo has played 34 AFL games with Geelong since being drafted at the end of 2014.