WESTERN Bulldogs father-son recruit Zaine Cordy will miss the start of the 2015 season after having a shoulder reconstruction.

The 18-year-old defender, who arrived at the Bulldogs via pick No.64 in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft, had experienced discomfort during his first pre-season and the club decided it was better for him to receive immediate treatment to fix the issue.

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The rehab period is expected to be at least four months, with the Dogs hopeful he will resume full training in the early part of the season.

"Zaine had some instability in his left shoulder when he was drafted and after a short period rehabilitating the area, the club decided that to avoid further damage to the shoulder, the best approach was to intervene surgically," the Dogs’ general manager of football Graham Lowe told AFL.com.au.

"As with all of our younger players, we make these decisions with a view to the long-term and we look forward to Zaine getting back to full training in the early parts of the season."

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Cordy, the younger brother of Ayce - who has played 20 games for the Bulldogs - is a promising defender who is expected to eventually play on talls and smalls.

Fremantle made a bid for him under the father-son bidding system but the Dogs were able to secure him at pick No.64.

The Bulldogs were aware his shoulder would need some treatment when he was drafted and have been working through the options since he joined the club.

Cordy couldn’t attend the club's annual general meeting on Thursday night at Whitten Oval due to the operation as new coach Luke Beveridge unveiled a long list of recruits including Tom Boyd, Toby McLean and Shane Biggs.

The Bulldogs have most of their list training, with Fletcher Roberts still recovering from a shoulder reconstruction and Clay Smith on the road back after a knee reconstruction last season. Big man Tom Campbell remains on a running program.

Beveridge, who was appointed coach in November, told members at the AGM the club would not be looking in the rear view mirror as the group strove to become a force in the game.