Liberatore on watch after boot to the head

Western Bulldogs star Tom Liberatore will be assessed by the club's doctors after his AFL return ended disastrously when he was hit by a stray boot to the face.

The midfielder had to be helped off after going to ground in distress late in the last quarter of Sunday's upset loss to Hawthorn.

It was Liberatore's first game after he collapsed late in the round-six loss to Essendon, prompting a battery of medical tests.

Footage appeared to show Liberatore was kicked in the head accidentally as he tackled Hawthorn's Conor Nash.

Blood streamed from the Bulldogs veteran's forehead before he was helped off by trainers.

Post-match, Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge was unsure what had happened.

"I actually saw him stumble in the middle of the ground and that's concerning," Beveridge said.

Beveridge added the Bulldogs would be conservative with Liberatore, with all decisions over his immediate future left to medicos.

Liberatore also could be in match review trouble for a third-quarter tackle on Will Day.

A free kick was paid to Day, whose head hit the ground in the tackle.

Liberatore, 31, is the son of Bulldogs Brownlow Medallist Tony Liberatore and has played 222 games since his 2011 debut.