Luke Beveridge is confident Alex Keath will be available to play in round one after the Western Bulldogs full-back left the field in Friday night's loss against Brisbane with a sore shin.

The diagnosis for Keath will be music to the ears of both Beveridge and Bulldogs supporters after he failed to return following half-time.

"Keathy just had a significant kick to the shin and wasn't moving too well and we took a very conservative approach with that and had to take him off," Beveridge said.

"You know what it's like when you hit your shin on the edge of the bed or if you hit it bloody hard, it's hard to shake it off.

"He came back on, was a little bit limited, and we just thought it was a better approach to remove him from the game.

"We think he'll be ok, it's nothing serious."

The Bulldogs have 12 days to recover for their season opener against reigning premiers Melbourne at the MCG on Wednesday, March 16.