North Melbourne have confirmed young backman Josh Goater has ruptured his Achilles, with the Round 1 setback set to put a line through the remainder of his 2024 campaign.

Goater was seen in pain on the ground during the dying stages of Saturday's game against GWS, with the 20-year-old pushing off from his mark only to go down holding his lower leg.

The extensive rehabilitation for a ruptured Achilles is approximately six months to recover, placing the remainder of Goater's season in doubt.

Speaking after his side's 39-point loss to the Giants, Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson said it was an unfortunate blow.

"It's sad to see any player put a whole summer of work in (and then get injured)," the Roos coach said.

"Josh is a young player, this is third year of footy, and if that's a ruptured Achilles I dare say his season is done, which is so sad.

"But that's the game that we're in. It's a really, really demanding game and unfortunately he's just going to have to rehab it well and get himself ready for next year.

"It's just really disappointing for him for where he's at it with his career that he can't consolidate on his emergence into the side last year.

"He played one game in his first year and played about ten last year, and this was going to be his step-up year. So that's disappointing for him. We're shattered for him."

Goater made his debut for the Roos at the end of the 2022 season and would play a further ten games last year.

The half-back flanker looked to be settled into a senior role to start this season, with the promising young defender now joining his club's casualty ward.

North Melbourne will be without key defender Griffin Logue until later in the year as the backman continues his recovery from an ACL injury sustained midway through last season.

Co-captain Luke McDonald returned from a hamstring injury that hampered his pre-season via a VFL intra-club session on Saturday, while fellow skipper Jy Simpkin remains sidelined with a concussion and could be cleared to play Fremantle next week.