Brisbane skipper Jonathan Brown will miss the rest of the AFL season after undergoing surgery to replace a plate in his battered face.

Brown was released from hospital on Tuesday after undergoing the delicate procedure, which involved the successful removal and replacement of a small plate, previously inserted over his jaw following the horrific facial injuries he suffered in round one against Fremantle.

The 29-year-old's latest sickening blow to the head - in Sunday's loss to Geelong - also resulted in several fractures to his jaw, but the club's medical staff have been told those would heal by themselves in coming months and Brown is expected to make a full recovery.

"While it's disappointing that Jonathan will not be playing again this year, he'll enter the pre-season with his body in a healthy state, which is something he hasn't been able to do for quite some time," Lions' football operations manager Dean Warren said.

"Jonathan's long-term health and well-being has been the club's primary concern and he'll have the best support to ensure that when he does return, he'll be in the best possible shape."

North Melbourne speedster Ben Speight's season is also over after suffering a serious shoulder injury in Sunday's upset win over the Western Bulldogs.

The 21-year-old, who suffered the injury after falling awkwardly during a tackle late in the match, joins team-mates Sam Wright, Ayden Kennedy and Matthew Scott on the sidelines for the rest of the year.

Fremantle defender Nick Suban is almost certain to earn a recall for Sunday's western derby with West Coast after fellow backman Roger Hayden's season was brought to a crashing halt due to a fractured fibula in his right leg.

Hayden will undergo surgery this week but, barring a remarkable recovery, will struggle to regain fitness and form in time for the Dockers' finals campaign.

The weekend's other big casualty was St Kilda defender James Gwilt, who won't return until midway through next year after undergoing traditional reconstructive surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament he damaged in his left knee on Saturday night against West Coast.

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