WESTERN Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus will miss the remainder of the season with a serious ankle injury.

There has been speculation regarding Dahlhaus' future at the Kennel, but the free agent's management has been in discussions with the club over a new deal, with the sticking point reportedly the length of the contract.   

In better news for the struggling Bulldogs, superstar playmaker Marcus Bontempelli, as expected, has recovered from appendicitis and will be available for selection for Saturday's clash with Port Adelaide in Ballarat. 

Dahlhaus was brought down in a tackle in the second quarter of Sunday’s 54-point loss to West Coast, immediately grabbing his left ankle and leaving the ground assisted by trainers. 

Medical services manager Chris Bell told westernbulldogs.com.au the 25-year-old was highly unlikely to play again this year. 

"The mechanism of the injury has damaged the high ankle area, or the syndesmosis part of his ankle," Bell said. 

"This is notoriously slow to heal, and we expect at this stage for his recovery to take six to eight weeks, which is going to rule him out for the remainder of the season." 

As reported by AFL.com.au, Mitch Honeychurch has been cleared of serious structural damage to his neck and cheekbone following his collision with Eagles skipper Shannon Hurn, but the forward will undergo further testing this week before being given the all-clear.  

 

"Precautionary X-rays at the time showed that there was no serious structural damage to his neck. We're still working through a process with Mitch to work out the extent of his injury," Bell said. 

"He was a little bit dazed at the time of injury, but he's come in well today, but we'll need to work through a process across the remainder of the week to work out his availability." 

While the Dogs will be without Dahlhaus and Honeychurch for the clash with the Power, Bontempelli's return to health will see him skipper a young Dogs outfit at Mars Stadium. 

The 22-year-old has missed the past two matches with the condition he developed following a training session on July 10.

"Marcus has completed a full week of training following the removal of his appendix," Bell said. 

"The surgeon has ticked off and he's feeling 100 per cent, so he'll come back into full training this week and we expect him to be available."

In further good news,  Lin Jong will return to full training this week following a smooth recovery from a collarbone injury, while Tory Dickson looks to at least a week away as he recovers from a hamstring injury.