THE WESTERN Bulldogs' shocking run of injuries continued on Friday night with star midfielders Tom Liberatore and Jackson Macrae injured against the Cats.
Liberatore was best on ground until he injured his ankle midway through the second quarter after Geelong speedster Steven Motlop tackled him, while Macrae, who had kept Joel Selwood quiet, suffered a hamstring injury towards the end of the third quarter.
Despite his season hanging in the balance, Liberatore was in a playful mood with reporters when asked about extent of his injury on Saturday.
The star playmaker was in his second game back from a rib injury that forced him to miss a week.
The 23-year-old sat out the entire 2015 season with a ruptured ACL.
"The knee's good," Liberatore joked.
"Yeah, the ribs are pretty good too."
Macrae arrived for his scan shortly after and was unable to say if he would be available for next Saturday night's clash with North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
"Hopefully not too long, but we'll wait and see. I don’t know anything for sure yet." Macrae said.
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said the injuries were frustrating as both players were making strong contributions in a tight game, with Liberatore going head to head with Patrick Dangerfield.
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"They were significant players in our plans and we had to make some adjustments afterwards," Beveridge said.
Although the extent of Liberatore's injury is unclear, Beveridge said he hoped the tough midfielder would return before the end of the season.
"I think it is one of those syndemosis [high ankle sprain] injuries that can keep you out for a little while, but there are different levels so he is still a chance to be with us," Beveridge said.
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"We just need to scan it and see what it comes up with."
Beveridge hopes Dale Morris will return after missing with a tight hamstring, while Matt Suckling and Matthew Boyd are touch and go for next week as they battle niggling Achilles problems.
Beveridge said it was hard to laugh because of how disappointed everyone was for the injured players, but there was little else a coach could do in the circumstances.
"If you don't laugh, you probably cry like I did the other day," Beveridge said.
"We think we can pull it together again and at some point start winning again."
Liberatore came out of the rooms on crutches at half-time and was wearing a moon-boot while Macrae was iced after the match.
In better news for the Dogs, young midfielders Lukas Webb (37 touches and a goal) and Nathan Hrovat (31 possessions and two goals) loom as replacements for the key duo after impressive performances for Footscray in the VFL on Saturday.
Webb, who has reinvented himself as an inside midfielder this season, was best on ground for the second straight week after being dropped following the round 12 win over Richmond.
Hrovat, a 2014 NAB AFL Rising Star nominee, is yet to play a senior game in 2016 after battling shoulder and ankle injuries.
Clever forward Toby McLean kicked one goal in his first game two months following a serious ankle injury.
