The Western Bulldogs are confident midfielder Daniel Cross will be ready for the AFL finals after ankle surgery.

Cross was hurt in a tackle during Saturday's upset loss to West Coast and there were fears the injury might be season-ending.

But coach Rodney Eade said exploratory surgery on Monday night revealed a small amount of "gristle" was caught in the joint.

"It was the best news we could have with it. He had a little bit of gristle taken out last night," Eade said.

"I was left a message from the doctor, and our physio has just spoken to the surgeon and he's a chance to play against Geelong, but more than likely against Collingwood the week after.

"I spoke to Daniel yesterday and if he missed only one or two weeks, he was really pleased with that, so I think he'll be in a positive frame of mind with the news."

The Bulldogs' poor performance against the Eagles again raises concerns about their late-season form.

They are fourth, only half a game ahead of Brisbane ahead of Saturday night's away match against the Lions.

The Bulldogs will regain forward Robert Murphy, one of their best players, for the match.

"It's a super important, massively important game," Eade said.

"We've spoken about that, but as much not to repeat the effort we had on the weekend.

The Bulldogs have a tough run to the finals, with clashes against Geelong and Collingwood after the trip to Queensland.

"If you win, the top four takes care of itself," Eade said.

"We've got to win, this is a big game for us for a whole range of reasons.

"If we win two of the three, I would think we secure top four, but we've got to do that."

Eade also said he had some sympathy for the league as they look at rescheduling the round-22 clash against the Magpies, who for now is a Sunday twilight game.

The two teams want to play earlier on the weekend to give them as much rest as possible before week one of the finals.

"It's not that simple - I think the AFL will try in their best endeavours but there are a lot of variables involved," Eade said.

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