WESTERN Bulldogs veteran Scott West will miss Friday night's clash with Essendon at Telstra Dome after minor knee surgery yesterday to clean out scar tissue.

The Bulldogs hope that by having early surgery he will miss only two games.

"He came off (during the match against the Saints) but he came back on and was OK, but when the ankle settled down they decided to explore it a little further," Bulldogs football manager James Fantasia said last night. "They thought it was just best to give it a clean out, which virtually rules him out for this week and they hope he will be right for the week after."

Young forward Shaun Higgins, who injured his ankle in round two, will miss as many as 16 weeks after tendon damage was discovered during surgery to remove bone fragments.

West Coast ruckman Dean Cox is almost certain to be named in the team to play Sydney this weekend after scans yesterday cleared him of a fractured foot.