Travis Cloke could be set for an AFL return as the Western Bulldogs look to replace injured forward Jake Stringer.
The 23-year-old Stringer will be sidelined for up to three weeks after straining his hamstring during Sunday's 20-point win over Carlton at the MCG.
Stringer left the ground minutes into the second quarter and sat out the rest of the game with his left leg iced as the Bulldogs went on to claim a 12.10 (82) to 9.8 (62) win.
"We've assessed Jake today and can confirm he does have a hamstring strain," Bulldogs physiotherapist Chris Bell said on Monday.
"We're going to put a structure around Jake but at this stage, we imagine he will miss the next two to three games of football."
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The Bulldogs face Gold Coast in Cairns on Saturday, with veteran defender Matthew Boyd a chance to return from an Achilles injury.
Stringer's absence could pave the way for Cloke to play his first game of senior football in more than a month.
The former Collingwood spearhead played his second straight game in the VFL on Saturday night after taking time off last month to deal with mental health issues.
"Travis played pretty well," coach Luke Beveridge said on Sunday.
"He's two games back now and he seemed to enjoy last night. He'll be another player that we'll consider."
Premiership forward Tory Dickson is also in the mix after the Dogs struggled for efficiency inside-50 against Carlton.
"I thought he played really well last night with some of his spark and spunk back," Beveridge said.
"He had an encouraging performance at VFL level so he'll definitely come into consideration for this week."
Young ruckman Tom Campbell (abdominal strain) and midfielder Josh Dunkley (shoulder) have returned to training, with Campbell likely to return in coming weeks.
