MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 16: Dale Morris of the Bulldogs marks during a Western Bulldogs AFL training session at Whitten Oval on May 16, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Western Bulldogs defender Dale Morris will miss at least the next 8-12 weeks of football, after suffering a knee injury at training on Thursday.

Morris suffered a partial tear of his anterior cruciate ligament, and will now be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

The 35-year-old will be managed by the club during his rehabilitation process, in a bid to make sure he's fully fit before returning to the field in what is likely to be his final AFL season.

“This strategy will maximise the chance of Dale being able to play a meaningful part in the 2018 season,”Bulldogs’ Medical Services Manager Chris Bell told westernbulldogs.com.au.

“While this is not a common injury, there have been other similar cases in the AFL where surgery was not required for the healing process.

“Given the type of injury this is, and the unknown nature of the recovery time, we will work with Dale over the coming 8-12 weeks to more accurately determine when he is able to return to the field.”