Despite forecasts that he would be back on his feet within days, it's likely to be early-to-mid December before Western Bulldogs recruit Barry Hall has sufficiently recovered from ankle surgery to join his team-mates in full pre-season training.

The club's football operations manager James Fantasia initially said he expected Hall to be 'up and walking around the next day' following a 'minor clean-out' last week.

But that timetable was amended significantly by senior coach Rodney Eade at Whitten Oval on Tuesday.

"He's just on crutches at the moment, he only had it (surgery) last Thursday so he'll probably come down (to the club) tomorrow or on Thursday, depending on the weight on his leg," said Eade of Hall.

"He can start cross-training next Friday so he'll be doing boxing which obviously he's very good at, and bike and swim."

"He'll start walking in a fortnight and then he can start jogging and running maybe in three weeks."

Eade said Hall came to the Dogs in reasonably good shape after walking out on the Sydney Swans in July and he's confident the 32-year-old powerhouse forward will not suffer for his delayed start to the pre-season.

"He probably should have had the op probably when he finished his footy in mid-year, but he didn't, but it really hasn't put him behind," said Eade.

"He's done a fair bit of fitness work, he's done a fair bit of weights as well, so he's not going to lose a lot in that period of time, so he'll be fine."

Hall is one of 13 Bulldogs who underwent post-season surgery, only two of whom - Sam Reid and Stephen Tiller who've both had major groin surgery - are in doubt for start of the 2010 NAB Cup.

"We had three shoulder reconstructions - one was Liam Picken and two were younger players - and Brad Johnson and Jarrod Harbrow had tidy-ups on their shoulders," said Eade.

"(Adam) Cooney, (Dylan) Addison and (Ayce) Cordy had some tidy-up on their knees, so there was nothing really major."

"(Daniel) Cross had a double ankle reconstruction and if that's ever going to happen anyone it's best that it's happened to him, he's so professional and back running already."

Among the 28 Bulldogs getting stuck into pre-season training at Whitten Oval on Tuesday was delisted Carlton utility Jake Edwards, whose father Allan, grandfather Arthur and great-grandfather Frank 'Dolly' Aked all wore the red, white and blue.

"We're looking for some taller forwards and defenders and he played his last 10 games last year at the Bullants in defence and did very well so he's certainly in the mix, whether it's senior list or rookie list," said Eade of Edwards, who managed five senior appearances in his four seasons with the Blues.

Eade said Edwards' background and the prospect that he could become a fourth-generation Bulldog had no bearing on the invitation for him to join the club's pre-season program.

"We're not into that emotion and it's a nice story if it works out but certainly that's not going to be the reason if we take him," he said.

Brownlow Medalist Adam Cooney returned to training sporting a distinctive tattoo covering the length of his left calf from ankle to knee, which he apparently had done on a recent holiday in Bali.

Asked about the ink work, which makes Cooney's leg appear as though it's been run over by a truck, Eade just shook his head and muttered: "I don't know, the young people of today."

"Maybe it's a South Australian thing."