North Melbourne youngster Jy Simpkin will undergo shoulder surgery on Tuesday to repair his AC joint and is expected to miss the next six weeks of football.

The small forward suffered the injury in the first quarter of his side's loss to Sydney on Sunday, and despite coming back onto the field following initial treatment, Simpkin couldn't continue and was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the game.

The 19-year-old has impressed in his first season with the club, as the number 12 pick in the 2016 National Draft has booted five goals and collected nine disposals a game from his six matches.

“Unfortunately for Jy, he has injured his AC joint,” North doctor Peter Bacquie told the club's website.

“Jy saw a specialist this morning and it was decided that surgery was the best option to repair the joint.”

In some positive news for the Kangaroos, fellow forward Taylor Garner may be a chance to return on Sunday against Melbourne after hamstring tightness has seen him sidelined for the past fortnight.

“Given his history, we’ve been ultra-cautious with Taylor,” Bacquie said.

“He’ll need to get through training this week but may be available this weekend.”