Geelong midfielder Steve Johnson will miss the start of the 2013 season after undergoing an arthroscopy on his left knee today.

Johnson’s knee has caused him aggravation over the past week and the decision was made to address the problem immediately.

“There was a possibility that Steve could manage the issue through the season, but we all felt it was a better course of action to have the procedure now so that Steve will be at 100% when he returns,” Geelong’s general manager of football Neil Balme told geelongcats.com.au

“We think that by having the knee cleaned up he will be fully fit when he starts to play rather than the possibility that the knee will slowly deteriorate over time forcing the surgery later in the year.”

The Cats have not put a time frame on Johnson’s return at this stage.