Western Bulldogs key defender Dale Morris is likely to return for Saturday night's clash against Essendon at Etihad Stadium.

Morris has missed the past two rounds after injuring his ankle in the Bulldogs' round four win over Greater Western Sydney, when he tripped Giant Will Hoskin-Elliot.

He was suspended for the trip and missed the club's round five loss to Carlton.

The 31-year-old was close to a return last week against the Crows but the Bulldogs decided to give him another week to recover.

Morris moved freely at the Bulldogs' main training session on Wednesday and appeared unhindered by the ankle when taking part in agility work.

The experienced defender will be a welcome return for the Bulldogs who have struggled in his absence, with youngsters Michael Talia, Easton Wood and Tom Young holding down the backline in recent weeks.

Teammate Jack Macrae said Morris hadn't spent a lot of time on the training track this week, instead focusing on his rehabilitation.

"It's more been about getting the ankle recovering well," Macrae said on Wednesday morning before training.

"He'll join training today and if he gets through, I'm sure he'll play.

"Hopefully he can come [back into the side] because they (Essendon) have got a few tall forwards in their side and he'll be happy to join the team."

The Bulldogs let a 28-point lead early in the second quarter slip against the Crows last Sunday, conceding eight goals in a row to end up losing by nine points.

Coach Brendan McCartney spoke after the defeat about the importance of a consistent four-quarter effort, and Macrae said he hoped the Bulldogs would be able to produce that against Essendon on Saturday night.

"We're yet to put a full four-quarter effort in, and that's something we're working on behind the scenes," Macrae said. 

"You see nowadays if you put in a poor five minutes you can get really hurt and the game can be taken away from you so we're really working on getting rid of those mental lapses and playing a four-quarter effort.”