Geelong forward Mitch Clark will miss the start of the AFL season after a setback in his recovery from a calf injury.

Clark initially suffered the injury in January but will miss at least another month because of the recent issue, the Cats say.

“This is frustrating for Mitch and for the club but we expect that he will continue to rehab the injury and be available early in the season,” Geelong’s general manager of football Steve Hocking said in a statement on Tuesday.