GIANTS star Josh Kelly will undergo surgery on his right hip next week in the hope of returning to the field in the back half of the 2026 AFL season.

Following thorough consultation it was decided that hip resurfacing surgery is the best course of action for the GIANTS vice-captain as he looks to solve a lingering problem.

“To put it in simple terms he’s having a resurfacing procedure done to his right hip. It involves some prosthesis components that we’ve been deciphering about what the right approach is,” GIANTS Head of Medical Services Andrew Ryan said.

“It’s a big ordeal for him because it’s a bit of an unprecedented area as no AFL player that is currently playing has ever had this procedure.

“His surgery is scheduled for next week, and at a minimum it’ll be six months before he can run so there’ll be a lot of rehab that’ll be going into that integration process.

“Then we get to May/June and then we start a more land-based conditioning program and then see what the timeframe is at from there. It’s at a point where we have all the ducks in a row, it’s just a matter of it being executed next week and then the rehab will start.”

Meanwhile star full forward Jesse Hogan will be looking to return to his very best in 2026 after positive off-season surgery on a persistent foot issue.

“We had quite a positive outcome in the off-season with Jesse with some surgery that he had to remove some bone spurs around the foot,” Ryan said.

“He has had a previous navicular injury there and we were a bit unsure whether that was a culprit as well but that has been deemed to be really good.

“So he’s had those spurs removed in the off-season and he’ll be in a rehab program up until Christmas and then ideally in the new year he’ll be incorporated back into training as we know it.”

Star small forward Brent Daniels will also look to ramp up his training load after the Christmas break as he looks to return to his very best in 2026 following a frustrating 2025 season.

“He’s had a significant surgery around that abdomen and groin area and he’s in that recovery phase at the moment,” Ryan said.

“A bit like Jesse, there’s a bit of a strength rebuilding phase leading into Christmas with some conditioning that will come. Then in the new year we will build up his training accordingly.”

Promising youngster Jack Ough has also had successful off-season surgery as he prepares to return for his second pre-season alongside the rest of the 1-4 year players on Monday, November 24.

“Jack has had a good successful post-operative return. He had a shoulder stabilisation procedure and he’sdoing really well. He will pretty much be back into full training when the cohort come back in on the 24^th.

“The only thing with him is he’ll have graded contact exposure before Christmas, but the expectation in the new year is that he’s ready to go at any capacity.”

“Toby McMullin also had a repair of his syndesmosis and ankle injury at the back end of the season and he’stravelling really well. He’ll be doing most of that training block leading into Christmas and then back to normal in the new year.”

Ryan also provided an update on rebounding defender Conor Stone.

“Conor had a bit of an interesting set of procedures done. He sustained a navicular fracture and the decision was to have that repaired so that’s been fixated.

“He also had an associated calf soleus thickening or tensioning in the area and that needed to have a surgical release as well. So, he’s had two procedures and he’s responding really well.

“The navicular is going to plan and he’s showing really good signs of recovery and he’ll be modified to the new year and then ideally we’ll embrace that January period and he’ll be back in training.”

Meanwhile Ryan also provided an update on Darcy Jones and Nathan Wardius who are both on the mend from ACL surgery.

“They’ve both had surgery and are going to plan.

“Nath has almost approached the first three-month mark and he’s going well. And then Darcy Jones is a few weeks behind him but he’s going to plan, its early days for him.

“There’s a lot of rehab for those guys but they are fulfilling all expectations that they should be at this time.”