North Melbourne midfielder Ed Lower is expected to be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks after breaking his leg in an AFL practice match.

Lower, 22, fractured his fibula when his lower leg collided with an opponent's knee as he was laying a tackle during Saturday's win over Hawthorn in Ballarat.

The youngster said extreme weather in Melbourne over the weekend meant he faced a frustrating delay before learning the diagnosis.

"I was supposed to go straight to (Melbourne's) Epworth Hospital for scans, but we couldn't get through to the city from Ballarat due to the storms," Lower said on the club's website.

"I basically had to wait until the Sunday to find out that there was a fracture there.

"I've never broken anything in footy before, so it's pretty frustrating for me because I was planning to have a pretty big year and everything was going so well up until this point."

The Ballarat fixture has proved costly for both teams.

Hawthorn's No.1 ruckman Simon Taylor is out of action for four months after breaking his leg, while midfielder Brad Sewell suffered a broken collarbone.

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