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EXCLUSIVE: KEY Western Bulldogs midfielder Matthew Boyd has a broken bone in his hand.
Boyd, the reigning best-and-fairest winner, had a plate inserted late today to speed up his recovery.
Although the Dogs have not given up hope on Boyd making a late run to play on Friday night against Adelaide, he faces an uphill battle.
The minor injury to the bone won't be an issue given Boyd's hardness, but the wound may stop Boyd from getting up for the Crows clash.
If Boyd had not undergone surgery, he may have missed three to four weeks.
But with the help of reinforcement, Boyd will miss one week at most.
The ultra-resilient midfielder has not missed a game since Round 1, 2006.
Boyd suffered the injury late in the Dogs' loss to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday night and played the game out.
The timing is poor for the Dogs, who are already without hard-running midfielders Liam Picken and Callan Ward.
Sam Reid, another midfielder highly rated by the Dogs' coaching staff, is still recovering from a groin injury.
Boyd, a strong contender to be the next skipper at the club, has been a constant in the Dogs' line-up and can be relied on to win 25-plus disposals a week.
In better news for the Dogs, Brad Johnson and Jason Akermanis are certain to return against the Crows.
The Dogs were out-bustled and out-run by the Lions in the second half on Saturday night and their depth in the running department is being stretched
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