Western Bulldogs defender Dale Morris could miss the first half of the AFL season after hurting his knee during a training session.

The Bulldogs revealed the 35-year-old tore his anterior cruciate ligament on Thursday.

Despite the tear being described as minor, it could be enough to put Morris out of action for up to three months.

“Given the type of injury this is, and the unknown nature of the recovery time, we will work with Dale over the coming eight-12 weeks to more accurately determine when he is able to return to the field,” Bulldogs medical services manager Chris Bell said.

“This strategy will maximise the chance of Dale being able to play a meaningful part in the 2018 season.

“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.”

Morris missed 10 weeks of last season because of a broken arm and leg.

He was part of the Bulldogs’ 2016 premiership-winning team after playing the finals series with two broken vertebrae.