The 25-year-old went down in the third quarter of the Lions' 73-point smashing of Gold Coast in Saturday's QClash at Metricon Stadium.

Gardiner hurt his right shoulder - the same one he had dislocated twice before.

Lions high performance manager Damien Austin said the hard decision had to be made to protect Gardiner's long-term future.

"He had a surgical review (on Tuesday) and will have a shoulder operation (on Wednesday),'' Austin said.

"It will take between 12 and 14 weeks to recover so we hope he may be able to pay some football at the end of the season.''

Gardiner missed the Lions' preliminary final loss against Geelong last year and experienced knee issues which saw him miss the first three games this season.

He has become a key member of Brisbane back-six alongside All-Australian Harris Andrews and veteran Daniel Rich.

Gardiner likely would have played on Richmond superstar Dustin Martin in the Lions' blockbuster clash with the Tigers at the Gabba on Friday night.

Fellow defender Ryan Lester has also been ruled out of that match and will miss about two weeks.

Australian Associated Press