Bulldogs midfielder Riley Garcia will spend an extended period on the sidelines following a knee injury sustained in Friday's win over the Kangaroos.
Garcia was subbed out of the 68-point win during the second quarter after injuring his right knee, with the 21-year-old replaced in the contest by Mitch Wallis.
While the Dogs are yet to confirm a return date for Garcia, the club has confirmed his recuperation process will take close to a month before a further assessment is required.
“Riley landed awkwardly from a contest in the second quarter and jarred his knee,” Bulldogs' head of sports medicine Chris Bell said, per the club's website.
“When assessed during the game he had some catching pain in his knee that impacted his function, so he was removed from the game.
“Scans have confirmed that he has damaged some cartilage in his knee.
“This is the knee that Riley has had issues with in the past, including having an ACL reconstruction in 2019.
“We will progress Riley as symptoms allow over the next 3-4 weeks, and will work towards a definitive return to play timeline following this."
Garcia joins an extensive casualty ward at the Kennel, with Josh Bruce (knee), Toby McLean (knee), Jason Johannisen (calf) and Alex Keath (hamstring) all set to miss the next month through injury.
VIEW: FULL BULLDOGS INJURY LIST
Garcia has played 10 games for the Bulldogs, with Friday's affair his first of the 2022 season.
