WESTERN Bulldogs forward Laitham Vandermeer will miss the start of the season after suffering a leg fracture at training ahead of round one.
The 24-year-old is expected to be sidelined for at least eight weeks after scans revealed a hairline fracture following a knock last week.
Vandermeer has endured a frustrating run in the past two seasons, managing only 10 appearances in 2022 after 11 in 2021.
But after banking a decent block over the pre-season, Vandermeer was on track to reclaim a permanent spot in Luke Beveridge's best team in 2023.
The Western Bulldogs will have a clearer timeline around his return to action in the coming weeks, but the Mooroopna product will miss the next couple of months.
Young gun Cody Weightman won't feature in the Bulldogs' intraclub at Mars Stadium on Saturday due to the recent adductor injury he suffered in match simulation.
The 22-year-old is expected to be available for the club's one and only practice match against North Melbourne at Ikon Park next Saturday.
Ruckman Tim English has recovered from a minor hamstring concern to be named to play in Ballarat, along with off-season recruits Rory Lobb, Liam Jones and Oskar Baker, who continues to emerge as a round one contender.
Star midfield pair Adam Treloar and Bailey Smith are both set to play some minutes in the internal practice match on Saturday, following injury-interrupted pre-seasons.
Treloar underwent ankle surgery in September and has needed most of the time since then to fully recover while Smith was hampered by calf soreness in January before returning to full fitness.
Jason Johannisen is facing a race against the clock to be fit in time for the round one clash against Melbourne on March 18.
The 30-year-old has been dealing with a calf niggle and isn’t expected to be available to face the Kangaroos next weekend.