Marcus Bontempelli set to miss six weeks after injury calf in pre-season win over Hawthorn

Western Bulldogs’ injury crisis has plunged to new depths with captain Marcus Bontempelli set to spend at least the first month of the new season on the sidelines.

The Bulldogs have suffered a massive blow on the eve of the season, with captain Marcus Bontempelli set to miss six weeks of footy through a “complex calf injury”.

Bontempelli came from the field just 11 minutes into the Bulldogs’ Community Series match against Hawthorn on Thursday with initial hopes it would only be a minor issue.

However, scans on Friday revealed that Bontempelli is likely to miss at least the first four games of the season for the Bulldogs.

Marcus Bontempelli left the field in the opening minutes of the Bulldogs’ win over Hawthorn. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

“While the club was optimistic of a positive result overnight, scans have revealed a complex injury with tendon involvement,” Chris Bell, the Bulldogs’ head of sports medicine, said.

“Unfortunately, the structures involved with this particular injury are prone to having recurrent issues, so we will need to follow a conservative management timeline to give Marcus the best chance of a successful season.”

Bontempelli’s injury adds to an ever-growing casualty ward at the Bulldogs, with Liam Jones (hamstring), Adam Treloar (calf) and Jason Johanissen (hamstring) all out for at least the next eight weeks.

“Their starting midfield is gone for the start of the season...the injury list to the key players at the Bulldogs is really creeping up,” former Dogs skipper Brad Johnson told Fox Footy.

“With the best player in the competition now out for six weeks and back after Gather Round, it’s going to be a tough start for the Western Bulldogs anyway without their superstars, especially in the midfield.

“It’s the first five or six weeks, how they can really just try and hang in there until they get their star players back into the line-up. Round 1 against North Melbourne becomes huge for both clubs, in particular, I think the Western Bulldogs.”