The Western Bulldogs are contemplating the addition of a ready-made ruckman through the AFL mid-season draft, as uncertainty surrounds the recovery of Tim English from his latest concussion.
English will be absent for the Bulldogs' Saturday night clash against a struggling Carlton side, following a head knock sustained in last week's victory over Port Adelaide.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge acknowledged the club must adopt a cautious approach with English, whose return-to-play timeline remains unclear.
"We'll wait and see how he goes over the next week and what his availability will be," Beveridge said.
"We don't know because of his history - he's been out of action at different times.
"He spent a whole pre-season a couple of years ago non-contact, so we'll tread warily."
The Bulldogs have been forced to rely on inexperienced players such as Louis Emmett, Lachlan Smith, and Jordan Croft in the ruck at various points this season, with English limited to just six games thus far.
Tall defender Rory Lobb has also been utilised as a ruck option, though star key forward Sam Darcy has been ruled out for the remainder of the year due to a knee injury.
The club is actively searching the market for ready-made ruck options who could be acquired through the mid-season draft.
"It's something that we're thinking about," Beveridge said.
"It's just whether there's a player available, and our recruiters are working through that at the moment."
Like English, Tom Liberatore is also dealing with concussion issues, but Beveridge indicated that the veteran midfielder's primary concern is a knee injury that will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future.
"He'll be a while, Tom. He's going to re-enter the group training over the course of the next two or three weeks, but he's a fair way away with that knee," Beveridge said.
"The concussion I think is secondary at the moment. We're not really talking about it. We're talking about the knee.
"He'll have some tests along the way about the concussion but I think it's just mainly about the knee at the moment."
Beveridge noted that the Bulldogs (5-4) are preparing for an element of unpredictability when they face Carlton (1-8) at Marvel Stadium.
The Blues will be led by caretaker coach Josh Fraser following Michael Voss's departure after five seasons in charge earlier this week.
"What to expect there, who knows? But all we can do is bring it back to us and what we can influence and control," Beveridge said.
