WESTERN Bulldogs superstar Marcus Bontempelli will miss two to three weeks after being rushed to hospital for appendix surgery.
Bontempelli completed training on Tuesday without issue, but later suffered the onset of severe abdominal pain.
He was rushed to hospital with acute appendicitis and had surgery overnight.
Bontempelli was set to play his 100th AFL match against Melbourne on Saturday and had been leading the Dogs in the absence of injured captain Easton Wood.
Football manager Chris Maple told AFL.com.au the star playmaker would be given plenty of time to recover from the procedure.
"Marcus trained really well and then went and saw the doctor feeling a bit sore in the stomach, so he was referred to hospital," Maple said.
"They did some tests and he was diagnosed with appendicitis.
"He's feeling all right, that's the main thing, so now we'll see how he pulls up.
"He could miss one week, maybe two or three, we'll just have to wait and see."
With Bontempelli and captain Easton Wood sidelined, running defender Jason Johannisen is likely to lead the club against the Demons in his 100th game for the club.
In better news for the Dogs, star midfielder Jack Macrae just needs to get through training to play following a month-long hamstring injury.
Bontempelli's absence could also open the door for second-year forward Fergus Greene to make his debut after he was named as an emergency for last weekend's loss to Hawthorn.