INJURED Western Bulldogs midfielder Shaun Higgins hopes to be out of his moonboot within the next fortnight as he continues his recovery from a fractured navicular bone.
The 25-year old has taken a cautious approach to his rehabilitation since he suffered the injury in round three.
Since then, Higgins has been counting down the days until he can get back out on the field.
"It's coming up to ten weeks now, post-surgery," Higgins said on Monday.
"I'm still in a moonboot. I'll be getting a scan in the next week or two, and that will see where I'm at, and all thing's going well I'll get out of the boot at about the twelve-week mark.
"Everything's gone to plan and it's feeling really good. It's just a slow process and you've got to give it the time."
The Dogs' on-field woes have only added to Higgins' frustration, while he is forced to watch the young side struggle from the sidelines.
"Combine that with doing a full pre-season and only getting a couple of games in at the start of the year, and also playing with a team that is developing," Higgins said.
"We've got younger guys and are probably lacking a few of the middle and senior guys out there.
"Not to be able to help out on the field is frustrating."
Higgins has dropped 50 spots in the Official AFL Player Ratings since the injury, now sitting 244th overall in the standings.
Higgins isn't the only Bulldog sitting out the rest of the year, after Tom Williams had season-ending shoulder reconstruction last week.
"To see him in hospital, the surgery went well, but the majority of the time it always does," Higgins said.
"It was just frustrating to see a teammate to go through that again. We'll get around him. The whole club is supporting Tommy, and no doubt he'll be back firing for the pre-season."
Jacqui Reed is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @JacquiReedAFL
