THE WESTERN Bulldogs will be without midfielder Ryan Griffen and defender Tom Williams until at least the first week of finals.
Both players have injuries that have ruled them out for the rest of the home and away season, with Griffen straining his hamstring last Friday at training and Williams breaking his foot during Saturday night's clash with the Brisbane Lions.
Daniel Cross will also miss one more game with his ankle injury, but Shaun Higgins will return to face Geelong on Friday night after recovering from his hamstring strain.
Coach Rodney Eade said Williams' return would be dictated by his tolerance to pain following Monday night's operation.
"They have plated it which will give it extra strength so there won't be any more damage for him to run on it," Eade said. "It is just a pain issue now.
"They reckon the best-case scenario is he will miss two but more than likely three [weeks]."
He also doesn't know if the Dogs will be able to bring Williams straight into a finals side, given the amount of football the defender has already missed through injury this year.
"He played very well on Saturday night on a broken foot because he did it in the first 10 minutes," he said.
"To play the game out like he did and actually contribute was a great testament to his courage and strength, but I don't know [whether he can come straight back].
"He hasn't played a lot of footy so that's a question we'll have to answer in three weeks."
Williams has played 14 games in total this season after battling a foot problem.
Daniel Giansiracusa is also available for selection this round after overcoming a seven-week knee injury, but Eade says he is likely to come through the VFL.
Brad Johnson and Robert Murphy are expected to face the Cats despite picking up corked thighs on Saturday night.
Eade said the Bulldogs' extended stay in Queensland ahead of the weekend's win over the Lions had done wonders for his players' mental and physical state.
He also said Friday night's clash with Geelong was more about the Bulldogs building some positive form ahead of finals than seeking revenge for the Cats' round nine two-point win over his side.
"The motivating force for us is to try and win and get a top four spot," he said.
"You need to perform well against quality teams if you're going to perform well in September."
