Shoulder surgery sidelines important Bulldogs defender

The undefeated Western Bulldogs will be forced into a defensive reshuffle with Bailey Williams to miss up to a month with a collarbone injury.

Williams was subbed off during the third quarter of last week's big win over Gold Coast with scans later confirming a fracture.

He will undergo surgery on Monday.

"In the third quarter, Bailey came to the bench after a heavy hit to his collarbone," head of sports medicine Chris Bell said.

"Scans have confirmed that he did fracture his collarbone and that required surgery today.

"In the next couple of days, we’ll confirm his plan, but expect him to miss the next two-to-four weeks."