The Western Bulldogs' Marcus Bontempelli comes off the ground during the semi-final against Brisbane on September 4, 2021. Picture: AFL Photos

MARCUS Bontempelli is still a chance to play in the Western Bulldogs' preliminary final clash against Port Adelaide despite a knee injury, while livewire forward Cody Weightman has been ruled out.

Bontempelli injured his right knee while landing heavily in the dying minutes of last week's thrilling one-point win over Brisbane.

While the star midfielder has been cleared of structural damage, the extent of his injury is not fully known and he will undergo further testing throughout the week to determine his availability for the preliminary final. 

"In the last minutes of the game, Marcus landed and had his knee twisted," the Bulldogs' head of sports medicine, Chris Bell said.

"Scans have cleared him of any serious structural damage, but he does have some symptoms related to the injury.

"We'll work with Marcus through the back end of this week to determine his availability."

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Weightman's absence will come as a massive blow to the Bulldogs after the dynamic forward played a key role in their qualifying final win over Essendon. 

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Weightman, who kicked one goal in the semi-final before being subbed off at half-time after a headknock, developed concussion symptoms after the game.

As per the League's concussion protocols, he will miss the next 12 days but could return in time for the Grand Final, should the Bulldogs advance.

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"During the half time break we made the decision to remove him from the game," Bell said.

"Subsequent testing has confirmed he does have some low-level concussion symptoms.

"He won’t play this week, but we'll monitor Cody in the next couple of days to determine his availability."