WESTERN Bulldogs forward Cody Weightman is facing a delayed start to the 2026 season after missing all of last year due to the complex kneecap injury that has stalled his career.
Weightman hasn’t played since the 2024 elimination final loss to Hawthorn after first injuring his knee early last pre-season and has spent the summer training away from the main group at the Whitten Oval.
The 24-year-old underwent surgery last February to treat a rare congenital condition called bipartite patella, but then required a few more bouts of surgery following an infection in his knee.
Weightman ran for the first time in 331 days last week at 70 per cent bodyweight on the AlterG treadmill and is now up to 80 per cent bodyweight, with a focus on quad strength. The plan is for the livewire forward to run on grass in early February and then build up his conditioning and skills work outdoors.
The Western Bulldogs are yet to put a timeline on a return date, but Weightman isn’t expected to be available until April at the earliest and is likely to need until May to be up and running again.
With the Opening Round clash against reigning premiers Brisbane approaching, the Bulldogs are resigned to starting the new campaign without the dynamic forward again but are confident Weightman has turned the corner and can play an important role in 2026.
The 2019 first-round pick stamped himself as a star of the future in 2022 when he kicked 36.10 from 21 games, before backing it up with 34.18 in 2023. But since then, elbow and now knee issues have prevented Weightman from training consistently.
Ryley Sanders is sidelined with another hamstring strain and isn’t expected to return to full fitness until after the Dogs travel to Queensland for the annual pre-season camp in Noosa later this month.
The 2023 pick No.6 had made a fast start to the pre-season but then strained his hamstring in early December, before straining the other hamstring in January. Both have been minor, but have limited his pre-season at the Kennel.
Sanders played 21 games in his second season in the AFL – up from 14 in 2024 – and is still trying to cement a regular spot in the Bulldogs’ stacked midfield.
Veteran midfielder Adam Treloar has been a standout on the track across the pre-season, firing in extended match simulation last Friday, as he puts his hand up for a spot back in Luke Beveridge’s side after a frustrating 2025 campaign.
The 2024 All-Australian, who turns 33 in March, didn’t land a new deal for 2026 until September, after managing only four senior appearances due to a nightmare run of calf strains, before playing a key role in Footscray’s premiership run in the finals series.
Reigning Sutton Medallist Ed Richards has just returned to full contact training after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction in the days after the round 24 loss to Fremantle ended the Dogs’ season. Sam Darcy integrated back into the main group earlier this month, while Aaron Naughton is also back in everything. All three had the same procedure.
Lachy Bramble strained his hamstring at training on Monday and won’t train during the camp on the Sunshine Coast.
Second-year forwards Cooper Hynes and Josh Dolan have taken the next step over the summer and been two of the more impressive youngsters at the club heading into the important practice matches next month.
Draftee Lachlan Carmichael is building a case for an early-season debut after standing out on the track with his form and presence since the Dogs swooped on the Sydney Swans academy graduate on night one of the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft at pick No.21.
The Western Bulldogs will play Sydney in match simulation at Mission Whitten Oval on February 19th before hosting Hawthorn at the same ground in the AAMI Community Series on February 27.
