Western Bulldogs midfielder Jack Macrae says the team isn’t preparing to be without captain Marcus Bontempelli in Saturday’s preliminary final just yet.

The star skipper was cleared of any significant structural damage, after twisting his knee late in the Bulldogs’ semi-final win over Brisbane, and will be tested at training throughout the week.

“Bonti’s pulled up pretty well – he’s obviously avoided any structural damage, and we’ve got training on Tuesday and Thursday, so we’ll see how the week pans out,” Macrae told media on Tuesday morning.

“He’ll give himself every chance to get up and play.

“As a (midfield) group we’ve had injuries to different players, and we’ve all stepped up and covered for certain players that have missed at times, but we’re not preparing yet for him to not play.

“Probably towards later in the week, whichever way it goes, we’ll start having those conversations.

“We don’t rely on one player – as much as Bonti is an absolute superstar, we back ourselves as a group.”

The Bulldogs’ road trip will continue this week, having set up base in Perth before flying to Adelaide ahead of the weekend.

Macrae said the group isn’t bothered by the travel and restrictions, but rather grateful they still have the opportunity to play footy.

“Obviously with the current climate, you kind of expect you’re going to be thrown around the country a bit,” Macrae said.

“At the end of the day, we’re so privileged to be able to play footy and still do what we love – especially on the weekend, to play in front of a big crowd was amazing.

“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do…this is (why) you do all the work over summer and through the season, to get to these moments.

“We’re definitely not complaining or feeling sorry for ourselves.”