Essendon captain Jobe Watson is expected to miss at least the next month after having surgery to repair a fractured collarbone on Monday.

Watson suffered the break following a knock from Port Adelaide’s Justin Westhoff in the first quarter of Sunday’s win over the Power.

Club doctor Bruce Reid said the nature of the fracture left Watson with a positive notice for recovery.

“They have put some plates and screws across the fracture,” Reid said.

“Being in the middle of his collarbone that is a good spot because you get good purchase with the plates.”

“If you have got a normal collarbone fracture where they overlap and you don’t plate them they can be up to ten weeks but if you can plate them then you get a pretty good heal and they are right in about four to six.”

Reid said Watson could return to non-contact training within the next fortnight.

“He won’t miss much athletic training, he will be back into running pretty quickly and handling the ball within two weeks.”

“He is very positive but obviously very disappointed as you don’t want to have an injury that you can’t play with.”

Football Operations Manager Steve Alessio said the loss of Watson provided the club’s younger midfielders with an opportunity to step up.

“Jobe is our engine room in the midfield but when someone like that goes down it gives an opportunity for one of our young guys,” Alessio said.

“We have a lot of young hard nuts who want to come into the midfield and start getting some experience and that might help us for the rest of this season.”