Blue Jordan Payne went down with a suspected ankle injury late in the second term with trainers required to stretcher him from the ground.

Coach Brayden Harkness said it "didn't look great but we will see how he is and where we take it" after his side edged out Panmure 8.14 (62) to 5.8 (38) at Nirranda Recreation Reserve.

The Bulldogs lost in-form midfielder Isaac Sinnott with coach Chris Bant saying he was unsure if it was a knee or lower leg.

Sinnott suffered the injury in the third term when an opponent fell onto his leg whilst attempting to smother the midfielder's drive forward.

He was also carried off the ground by trainers and into the rooms before heading to Warrnambool Base Hospital.

Harkness said despite the fresh injury to Payne, who has kicked seven goals in eight games this season, the ladder-leading Blues were edging closer to full strength.

"We've got a few guys to come back and we are almost back to full strength so it was disappointing to see him go down but we have a few blokes who are almost ready to come back," he said.

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"We're almost back there and we have felt like we haven't really had a full squad to pick from thus far so certainly looking forward to that coming towards the end of the season that's for sure."

Harkness said John Paulin was a chance to play against the Bulldogs but opted for a cautious approach in the midfielder's return from a hamstring injury.

He said Jack Primmer (hamstring) is still a bit away while Jesse Dalton (knee) and Jason Lee played in the reserves to build fitness and push their case for senior football.

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Bant said the Blues' ball use was key to beating his Bulldogs in a tough and defensive battle, which saw six goals scored in the first three quarters before the teams combined for seven in the final term.

"It was a bit of a slog and we probably made it that way," he said.

"Conditions were greasy but not a reason to be two goals to four at three-quarter-time. I thought both teams had a crack and it's always the case against Nirranda as we play a pretty similar style to them, around the footy we're hard and contested.

"They were just a bit cleaner with the footy going in, hit their forwards up a bit better and they played well."

The Bulldogs will now turn their attention to Old Collegians at Panmure next weekend.

Allansford is the next opponent for the undefeated Blues.

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