Star midfielder Adam Treloar believes a strong two-week training block could have him in the frame to be back playing as soon as round 21.

The 28-year-old hasn’t played since round 10, when he suffered an ankle syndesmosis injury in the Western Bulldogs’ win against St Kilda.

He had surgery to repair the issue, with his initial return-to-play timeframe extended.

But there’s now some light at the end of the tunnel for Treloar, who has turned his attention to building his body back up to be ready to play AFL football.

“Ideally I’ll get back in the next couple of weeks,” Treloar told AFL360 this week.

“I’ve got a nice training block ahead of me in the next couple of weeks and put myself in good stead to hopefully get the last few games of the home-and-away season.

“I would love to get back as soon as possible.

“I’m always very optimistic. I’m hoping round 21, but there’s no guarantees. I’ve got to make sure I get through a good couple of weeks of training.

“The ankle’s feeling really good, so I’ve fully healed from that. It’s just about reloading and making sure I’m looking after the rest of my body – the soft tissue and all the other things that go with playing at the elite level.”

Treloar’s official timeframe is 2-4 weeks, with Bulldogs’ medical staff now confident he will be available to return during the home-and-away season after an earlier setback.

It would be a major boost for the Bulldogs ahead of September – with Josh Dunkley (quarantine), Easton Wood (ankle) and Laitham Vandermeer (knee) also due back soon.