WESTERN Bulldogs young gun Cody Weightman is on track for round one after overcoming a late niggle in the pre-season, while first-round pick Jedd Busslinger is back to full fitness following a shoulder reconstruction last year. 

Weightman didn't feature in the club's intraclub at Mars Stadium in Ballarat on Saturday due to a recent adductor strain he suffered at training. 

But after completing Wednesday's main training session at Skinner Reserve, the 22-year-old is likely to bank some minutes in Saturday's practice match against North Melbourne ahead of the Bulldogs' season-opener against Melbourne on March 18. 

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Jason Johannisen also completed training to put himself in contention to face the Kangaroos at Ikon Park this weekend, after overcoming a calf issue in recent weeks. 

After arriving at the Whitten Oval via pick No.13 in last November's NAB AFL Draft, Busslinger has gradually built his workload across the summer, with the Dogs' high performance team taking a slow and steady approach with the 196cm key defender.

Busslinger hasn't played since his final season of underage football was ended prematurely when he required surgery last July. 

The 18-year-old was still named in the All-Australian side despite missing the final two games of the national championships. 

But after passing another hurdle on Wednesday, the West Australian is set to build his training load over the next month and be ready to play in the VFL inside the first few rounds of the season.

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Wingman Roarke Smith is set to miss the start of the season due to a plantar fascia issue, increasing the chances of delisted free agent Oskar Baker facing his old side in round one following an impressive summer.

Ryan Gardner will miss the early rounds of the season after undergoing surgery on Tuesday to repair a crack in one of the bones in his elbow. 

The 25-year-old has dealt with an elbow issue across the pre-season but aggravated the injury in a contest in the Bulldogs' intraclub. 

With Josh Bruce and Alex Keath fighting for a spot down back alongside free agency signing Liam Jones and young gun Sam Darcy – if he remains in defence – the injury to Gardner can be covered by the increased level of key-post depth at the kennel.