Western Bulldogs star Sam Darcy could return to boost the club's AFL finals hopes later this season after avoiding the need for surgery on his injured left knee.
The Bulldogs feared the worst when Darcy went down clutching the knee during last Sunday's 71-point thrashing of St Kilda.
Scans cleared the 21-year-old key forward of damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, which would have ruled him out for the rest of the year.
But he suffered an impaction fracture at the front of his knee and associated ligament damage at the back of his knee.
The Bulldogs now expect Darcy to be sidelined for two to three months.
"We're very relieved," Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains said on SEN on Thursday.
"Our medical team has worked through all of the scans and consulted a number of specialists on how to best manage Sam's injury.
"We've decided to move forward with a more conservative management plan which doesn't require surgery.
"Our medicos believe it will give him the best chance of a strong recovery, and we're looking at somewhere between two to three months (out) at this stage, subject to the knee settling and continuing to monitor his progress."
Darcy kicked 38 goals in a breakout campaign last year and added 14 as the Bulldogs' most prolific forward through their first five games this season.
Widely regarded as a generational talent, Darcy signed a four-year contract extension with the Bulldogs last December, which ties him to the club until the end of 2029.
Darcy's knee injury came just less than 20 years to the day since his father - 226-game Bulldogs great Luke - suffered the first of two serious knee injuries that sidelined him for most of 2005-06.
