WESTERN Bulldogs recruit Patrick Veszpremi will this weekend play his first VFL game since breaking a bone in his hand as he pushes for his first senior match with his new club.

The 21-year-old was sidelined for three weeks when he snapped the bone above the knuckle of his right ring finger in the week following a four-goal performance in his second game for Williamstown.

This Saturday, he'll line up against Port Melbourne at TEAC Oval and will attempt to convince the Bulldogs' coaches he hasn't moved far away from the form he last showed on the field that had him close to AFL selection.

"He'll play. I'd naturally assume he'd go back into [Williamstown's] senior side this week; they've got a big game this week," Bulldogs general manager of football James Fantasia told afl.com.au on Wednesday.

The former Swan was building his form and fitness up when the injury occurred in a training drill at Whitten Oval last month.

He ran into a tackle bag and got the finger, which he previously injured in early 2009, caught up, causing pain he initially thought was related to a dislocation. 

"It was a bit of a bummer doing it. It swelled up and I knew something was wrong, and [club doctor] Jake Landsberger grabbed it and felt the crack and said I needed an x-ray straight away," he told afl.com.au.

"I went in to see the doc and expected to get the surgery done that day but as it broke it hadn't twisted, so it's going to take the same amount of time as if I'd had the operation; maybe five days longer, but it's better I don't have it."

When Veszpremi last injured that particular finger, the lay off was much longer.

He missed nine weeks with the injury as it involved tendons as opposed to bone.
 
After it healed, he found it hard to break into the Swans' side of 2009. He played just three senior games in the second half of the season, and was named emergency five times.

Then in his last year at the club, he simply failed to force his way into the team. He was frustrated, angry and stranded on 11 games after playing in just the side's round 12 win over Port Adelaide.

At the end of the season, he sat down with new coach John Longmire and told him he wanted to go home to his native Victoria.

"In my head, I just thought, 'I'm never going to get in here', and it was a mental battle all year," he said.

He requested a trade, and his links with the Bulldogs that included former teammate Barry Hall and recruiting manager Simon Dalrymple, who was the development manager at his local team growing up, saw him take a liking to a potential life at Whitten Oval.

While he admitted he was frustrated to have not broken through for a senior game yet, particularly as the other traded-in Dogs Justin Sherman and Nathan Djerrkura have both played, he is certainly happier with his new surroundings.

"Everything is just better. When I walked into the club, I felt as light as a feather," he said.

"It's showed in my running and I'm just a different person really. I'm not stressing, I'm sleeping better and I'm not even playing seniors yet.

"If everything is going this well, it's got to show on the field soon."

The Bulldogs targeted Veszpremi in the trade period because they saw him as a player who could replace some of the flare the retirement of Brad Johnson and the sacking of Jason Akermanis had removed from the forward line.

Coach Rodney Eade said Veszpremi's change in mentality had been reflected in his training, and looked forward to seeing what the talented forward could do on the field.

"His attitude has been terrific and he's a guy who can use the ball extremely well and kick goals, and they're worth their weight in gold," he said.

"His hand was bad timing for him. I've got no doubt there will be opportunities for him because he's got too much talent to stay down there for too long."