Western Bulldogs forward Stewart Crameri is set to undergo surgery on his troublesome hip, with the club unsure when he will be able to resume his stalled AFL season.
Crameri, 28, played the first two matches of the Bulldogs' premiership defence but has struggled with hip soreness since.
"Over the last four to five weeks, Stewart has suffered symptoms associated with some wear and tear in his hip joint," head physiotherapist Chris Bell said.
"I'm afraid to say that conservative management has been really limited and he's continued to suffer symptoms that restrict his function.
"We'll get a surgical opinion and we'll have a better idea of his return-to-play plan following that opinion."
Crameri missed the 2016 season while he served a doping suspension arising from former club Essendon's 2012 supplements program.
In better news for the Dogs, currently eighth on the ladder with five wins, mercurial forward Jake Stringer is set to return for Saturday's clash against St Kilda.
The 23-year-old has missed the past two games with a knee injury sustained in the round seven win over Richmond.
"(He's) progressing really well following the medial ligament injury to his knee," Bell said.
"He's in line to resume training with the group this week and we'll go through our normal processes to determine if he's available to play."
Stringer had initially been ruled out until after the Bulldogs' bye in round 11.
Veteran defender Matthew Boyd will miss the clash against the Saints with the shoulder injury he picked up in the loss to West Coast in round eight.
"He's being managed conservatively," Bell said.
"He's in a no-contact training model, but will look to progress back to full training following the bye."
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