North Melbourne defender Nathan Grima has been booked in for back surgery and will be sidelined for 12-14 weeks.
The AFL club has confirmed luckless Grima will go under the knife on Wednesday.
Grima’s 2013 season ended in August when he had a piece of floating bone removed from his foot.
He managed only 11 games in 2014 due to foot and back injuries, but returned to fitness for the Kangaroos’ finals campaign and signed a one-year contract extension.
The 29-year-old, renowned for being the club’s prankster, has played 86 games in six seasons at Arden Street.