Star North Melbourne forward Shaun Higgins will be out of action until the eve of the AFL finals after suffering a knee injury.

Higgins, 28, is to undergo surgery to repair damage to his meniscus after suffering the injury in the table-topping Kangaroos’ narrow win over St Kilda on Sunday.

“It’s extremely unfortunate, but our focus is to ensure Shaun will have a thorough rehabilitation, which will allow him to return to the side late in the season,” said Kangaroos director of football Geoff Walsh.

Higgins is expected to be sidelined for 12 weeks.