Jurrah blow for Melbourne

Dynamic Melbourne forward Liam Jurrah will undergo a shoulder reconstruction on Wednesday and will be sidelined for four months, continuing the Demons' injury-ravaged preparations for the premiership season.

Jurrah injured the joint when he fell awkwardly in a practice match against Adelaide on Saturday and after meeting with the surgeon on Tuesday it was confirmed he would require surgery.

The 21-year-old is the latest pre-season casualty for Melbourne with Cale Morton (knee) and Daniel Bell (AC joint) both expected to be sidelined for as much as nine and eight weeks respectively.

"This is disappointing news to learn of the severity of Liam's injury," Melbourne football manager Chris Connolly said.

"At this stage, he will miss approximately 16 weeks of football."

"As a club, we will work closely with Liam in what will be a difficult time throughout his rehabilitation."

"We will aim to get him back playing football during the second half of the season."

Jurrah set the AFL world alight last year in his debut season, displaying freakish talents in the forward line on his way to booting 20 goals from nine matches to be a rare beacon in a dismal season for Melbourne.

The immensely talented forward was plucked out of obscurity in the 2009 pre-season draft from the remote Northern Territory community of Yuendumu.