A PERSISTENT ankle injury is likely to force Western Bulldogs forward Barry Hall out of his team's clash with the undefeated Geelong on Saturday at Skilled Stadium.

The 34-year-old was subbed off early in the third quarter of the Dogs' 29-point loss to Hawthorn on Sunday at Etihad Stadium after jarring the ankle that was operated on earlier in the season.

Hall will be given an opportunity to prove his fitness later this week but is likely to miss the trip down the highway to face the Cats.

"There were big concerns over Barry so we're just going to monitor where he is," football operations manager James Fantasia told afl.com.au on Tuesday night.

"We're going to leave that one until later in the week but I'd say he'd be doubtful."

Hall had minor surgery to clean out his ankle after round five and was expected to miss one to two weeks.

He did not play seniors again until Sunday after returning through the VFL the previous week.

Fantasia said it was unlikely another operation would solve the problem.

"It's all about managing with Barry. He wouldn't require any more surgery; it's more about resting and giving him a chance to recover," he said.

He also said Hall would either play in the senior side or have a weekend entirely off.  

Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney will also face a fitness test later in the week to see if he is right to return from the knee soreness that has kept him out since round eight.

"It's a bit hard to tell at this stage but we're still hopeful," Fantasia said.

"If you talk to him, there's improvement there so it would be good to get him in this week but we're not going to rush him back just for the sake of it."

Defender Ryan Hargrave will also be tested later in the week after the Dogs pulled him out of the side that lost to Hawthorn. Hargrave's foot - which was operated on twice in the pre-season - was sore prior to the game.

The Dogs will continue to err on the side of caution with Hargrave given the nasty nature of his injury, which involved surgery to repair it using part of his hip bone, and later a reinforcing plate. 

Jordan Roughead will resume in the VFL after missing last week with a shoulder injury but Brodie Moles will miss at least one more after being withdrawn from Sunday's side.

Moles overextended his shoulder on Friday at training and failed to pass a fitness test the following day.

Unlucky midfielder Sam Reid - who was playing in his first senior game since round 14 last year before he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery - will miss at least two matches after injuring his hamstring in the third quarter.

Fantasia said there were likely to be more changes this weekend with players coming into consideration after strong performances with Williamstown.

"James Mulligan is someone who's been around the mark for a few weeks so he'll come into consideration," he said.

"Rookies [Luke] Dalhaus and [Ed] Barlow are two that are being given some consideration too."

Dalhaus, a former Geelong Falcon, and Barlow, who played four seasons with the Sydney Swans, could be elevated from the rookie list in place of draftee Tom Hill, who sustained a foot injury last week that will keep him out for two months.

Fantasia said Nathan Djerrkura, Ben Hudson, Josh Hill, Jarrad Grant and Lukas Markovic could also be considered for the Geelong game.

He said the mood around the club had lifted despite the Dogs losing their fifth match from six starts on Sunday.

"We know we're under the pump because we haven't been playing well but we still have a belief that we've got the group to be able to dig us out of the hole," he said.

"It's more upbeat and I know it's an old cliché, but we've got back to the 'one week at a time' mantra.

"We know it's a big task going to Skilled Stadium against an undefeated Geelong but we still give ourselves a fighting chance."