Geelong defender Josh Hunt must wait for swelling to subside before he can undergo a knee reconstruction and begin his long rehabilitation back to the AFL.

Hunt met with an orthopaedic surgeon on Monday and he confirmed the initial diagnosis of a ruptured ACL as well as minor damage to the medial ligament in the left knee.

Hunt suffered the injury as he went to ground in the first quarter of the NAB Cup pre-season final against Collingwood last Friday night.

The Cats issued a statement saying the surgeon's advice was "to wait two weeks for swelling to subside in the knee before performing the reconstruction".

A decision hasn't yet been made on the type of reconstruction.

Last year Nick Malceski underwent a radical procedure after he also ruptured an ACL during the pre-season.

A new synthetic ligament meant the Sydney defender was able to return to the side in round eight.

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