Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has ruled out using leading goal-kicker Aaron Naughton to reinforce an injury-hit defence after the bye despite losing Liam Jones indefinitely.
The Bulldogs have confirmed gun defensive recruit Jones will require surgery after suffering a fractured radius in his left forearm against North Melbourne on Sunday.
Jones, who has enjoyed a stellar first half of the season, was hurt in the opening stages when he received an accidental kick from Kangaroo Paul Curtis while trying to gather a loose ball and was later taken to hospital.
"He'll have it plated ... and I don't know how long he's out, but he'll be out for a while," Beveridge said.
Naughton was shifted back for the second half of the 21-point win - 15.15 (105) to 13.6 (84) - over North Melbourne, with Jones and fellow tall defender Tim O'Brien (hamstring) out of the game.
But Beveridge will keep Naughton as the spearhead in attack when the Dogs host Fremantle in round 16, instead calling on his reserves to step up in defence.
"If we didn't have anyone else on our list who could possibly play there then, yeah, you'd have to consider it, absolutely," Beveridge said.
"But even yesterday James O'Donnell, Josh Bruce and Ryan Gardner were all pretty solid in Footscray's (VFL) win over Williamstown.
"There are some boys there that can come in and play those important roles.
"As much as they weren't necessarily at their best the week before, they're still there, and Aaron's really important for us forward."
Earlier this month, Beveridge bristled at a suggestion from Fox Footy analyst David King that Naughton should be switched permanently to defence to boost the Bulldogs' premiership credentials.
The 195cm target, who was drafted as a key defender, has kicked 26 goals in 14 games this season after leading the Dogs' goal-kicking last year.
Wingman Bailey Williams was also used to plug a hole at the back against North Melbourne after Jones and O'Brien sustained injuries.
The pair join fellow backmen Jason Johannisen and Ed Richards (both hamstring) on the injury list, while versatile young tall Sam Darcy (jaw) is also out of action.
The Bulldogs' win snapped a three-match losing skid and improved their record to 8-6, ensuring they will remain inside the top eight through the last of the bye rounds.
Beveridge conceded his side is "just a margin off" the best teams in the competition but has high hopes for the business end of the season.
"You can bridge those gaps," Beveridge said.
"You do need a little bit of good fortune with your personnel and your injury toll, but we've got to do things a bit better than what we have consistently to threaten.
"At least we've given ourselves a look.
"We're sort of in there in that lower part of the eight and it's our objective in our last nine games to see if we can nip at the heels of the more established sides at the top end and see what we can do."
