Western Bulldogs forward Jake Stringer has avoided a lengthy stint on the sidelines, with the Club expecting him to miss the next 2-3 matches with a knee injury.

Stringer was injured during the third quarter of last Saturday night’s win over Richmond at Etihad Stadium, with scans later revealing a medial ligament strain.

“Jake was involved in a tackle where his knee got twisted and caught under himself,” said Bulldogs’ Head Physiotherapist Chris Bell.

“The mechanism of that tackle has caused Jake to damage the medial ligament in his knee. We’ll put a framework around Jake from a rehab sense.”

The news isn’t as good for young forward Josh Dunkley, who will need surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder.

“In the final stages of the game on the weekend Josh sustained a full shoulder dislocation,” Bell said.

“We were able to relocate the shoulder in the rooms immediately after the dislocation.

“We found Josh has extensive damage to the shoulder joint. Without surgical reconstruction of the shoulder joint he would have recurrent dislocations.

“We’ve decided to operate on Josh’s shoulder, and we’re optimistic he’s going to return to playing before the end of the home and away season.”

In positive news on the injury front, Jordan Roughead is on the verge of a return from a hamstring injury, with the ruckman on track to play this weekend if he can complete training during the week.

And veterans Travis Cloke and Dale Morris are progressing well with their rehab programs, with the pair set to join in modified training this week, before a return to full training from next week.