Essendon defender Andrew Welsh could miss up to four months of football after suffering a broken leg during an intraclub match on Friday.

The 25-year-old underwent successful surgery at Epworth Hospital on Saturday to repair a broken fibula in his lower right leg as well as a dislocated ankle.

Bombers football operations manager Paul Hamilton said while the outcome of the surgery was good Welsh was still unlikely to return before the second half of the home-and-away season.

"Last night the doctors pinned the bone in his leg and also put his ankle back in place," Hamilton said.

"They are happy with the result of the operation but we still expect Andrew to miss three to four months of football.

Welsh was stretchered off Whitten Oval after going down in a marking contest in the third quarter of Friday's match.

"Andrew is in very good spirits and has been sending humorous text messages to his team-mates this morning," Hamilton said.

"Obviously he will be on crutches for a while but he is already very excited about getting back to the club and having some input.

"The main thing for him to focus on now is rest."

Bombers coach Matthew Knights said the incident was purely bad luck.

The running defender/tagger, who has played 134 AFL games, has developed into a key player for the Bombers, finishing in the top 10 in the club's best and fairest the past two seasons.

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