The Western Bulldogs will approach season 2013 with an increased competitive hunger, according to young defender Easton Wood.

Wood said the time and effort he and his teammates have put into pre-season was not in vain, and that the team are feeling positively about the season ahead.

“We don’t work as hard as we do… just to write a season off like that,” Wood said.

“We are certainly in no position to be thinking that is what this season is going to be – without putting any expectation on, we don’t play not to be successful.”

The Bulldogs notched their first win of 2013 on Friday night against Hawthorn, beating last year’s grand finalists by the smallest of margins.

Despite occurring in the pre-season competition, Wood believes the victory confirms that the Bulldogs are making progress and can deliver in a competitive hitout. 

“It’s nice to have all that hard work pay off and to be able to execute – and it makes it all worth-while,” he said.

Attention has now turned to the Bulldogs’ next opponent in Fremantle, as the Bulldogs look to build on the momentum from Friday night.

“It’s just another chance to work on what we have been doing this whole pre-season,” he said.

“With the pre-season cup… we are not as focused on what the other teams are really doing, we are more focused on what we are doing, what we want to execute in – so… just another great opportunity to do that.”