North Melbourne ruckman Hamish McIntosh is expected to be sidelined for two months following surgery on his right Achilles tendon.

The AFL club's medical spokesman Steve Saunders said Wednesday morning's operation, undertaken by orthopaedic surgeon Otis Wang, had gone according to plan at a private hospital in Kew.

After playing 20 games in 2010 for a career total of 99, the 26-year-old from Lavington in NSW attended North's high-altitude training camp in Utah but was unable to train much with the squad because of Achilles soreness.

"North Melbourne medical staff were pleased with McIntosh's progress over the pre-season but believed this minor operation would help speed up his recovery," the club said in a statement.

The Kangaroos are hoping McIntosh can return to full fitness to push Todd Goldstein for the No.1 ruck position in the side.

In more positive news, key big man Drew Petrie is recovering well from foot injuries in a bid to be ready for the club's round-one trip to Perth to play West Coast on March 27.

"I've had needles and physiotherapy but nothing has worked to the extent we'd hoped for," McIntosh told kangaroos.com.au earlier this week.

"If we opt for an operation, I really just want to have it as soon as possible so I can get back playing.

"I've had a sore spot there for a number of years and it's something I've had to manage throughout my career. I received a knock on it in round 19 last year which aggravated it to the point where I was struggling to run."

The Kangaroos have already had injury dramas in the New Year with key defender Nathan Grima to miss the first few rounds of the season after having back surgery.

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