THE Western Bulldogs expect full-back Brian Lake to be available for the opening round of the AFL premiership season following surgery on a nagging hip problem.
Lake - who changed his name from Harris in December - aggravated the complaint in the Dogs' 54-point NAB Cup loss to Essendon on Friday night.
The 2007 best-and-fairest winner underwent minor surgery Tuesday morning to remove a small amount of cartilage from his right hip.
The club said the surgery was a success, with Lake sent home from hospital at lunch-time.
He was expected to train late this week and the club was hopeful he would be fit to play against Adelaide in round one of the Telstra AFL Premiership on March 23.
