O'Donovan made his return to action on Saturday night after missing the last three rounds through a groin injury. 

He came on in the second half to help the Jets come from 1-0 down to secure a 2-1 win away to Perth Glory. 

However, the win came at a cost, with O'Donovan re-injuring his groin over in Western Australia. 

A collision with Glory goalkeeper Liam Reddy in the 80th minute meant O'Donovan suffered a Grade 3 tear. 

He is not expected back until mid-March at the earliest. 

“First and foremost, I’m disappointed for Roy,” said Jets coach Ernie Merrick.

“Roy had worked extremely hard to get himself right and our physio, specialist and myself were comfortable with him taking part in the game (against the Glory).

“We were actually taking a cautious approach by having Roy return via the bench – but there was nothing we could do to avoid this one.

“Impact injuries like these are part and parcel of football, and unfortunately it seems like we’re having more than our fair share at the moment.

O’Donovan will begin his rehab immediately under the guidance of Physio, Justin Dougherty and in consultation with groin specialist, Dr Neil Halpin.

“Dr Halpin is well recognised in dealing with these sort of injuries, so Roy is in excellent hands,” added Merrick.

“He has confirmed that his previous injury had healed well, but this latest one – while on the same side of the body – is in a completely unrelated area.

“At this stage, we won’t get drawn into any timelines for recovery but we’ll monitor Roy’s progress closely and hopefully we can see him back for the final rounds of the regular season."