Lincoln McCarthy has been placed on the Cats' long-term injury list.

The decision was made public by the AFL on Thursday afternoon.

The club has not promoted a rookie to replace him at this stage.

McCarthy has been battling groin soreness for much of the season and will soon have hip surgery in a bid to overcome the problem.

"Linc's going to have surgery on that left hip on Monday," Cats physio Mark Young explained on this week's episode of the GMHBA Health Report.

"It's very much exploratory surgery to assess the hip and see if it's playing any role in the groin pain he's been having this year.

"He won't play football this year, but we're confident that with the step we have in place, we can get on top of things for pre-season."