Western Bulldogs star Adam Treloar will have surgery to repair his ankle syndesmosis ligament injury and miss at least the next six weeks of the AFL season.
The 28-year-old suffered the injury during Saturday night's 111-point thumping of St Kilda, when his leg twisted in a tackle.
"We've decided the best way to manage this injury is to operate to stabilise the ligament," Bulldogs head of sports medicine Chris Bell said.
"This will get him back playing sooner and avoid ongoing complications.
"We will confirm his time frame to return to play following the surgery but expect him to miss the six to eight weeks of footy."
The Bulldogs take on Melbourne in a top-of-the-table blockbuster at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
Key ruckman Tim English is expected to return for the Bulldogs after missing four weeks because of concussion.
Both sides have 9-1 records after the Demons coughed up top spot on the ladder with a shock one-point loss to Adelaide in round 10.
