Western Bulldogs midfielder Mitch Wallis says the Bulldogs have the ability to shut down the Richmond midfield and take home a win in their round two match.

Richmond were 27-point winners over Carlton in their opening round of the season, with their midfield group providing plenty of run on an expansive MCG.

The star-studded midfield includes the likes of Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin and Brandon Ellis,  but Wallis says it’s important to focus on the Tigers’ midfield group as a whole, and not one particular opponent.

“It’s not just one, if you shut one down well three others can get off the chain,” said Wallis speaking with RSN Radio.

“I think we’re all going to play a pretty important role on one opponent or the other.

“I think that’s definitely where they generate a lot of their momentum from, they’ve got a lot of pace and a lot of really good one-on-one players in the midfield that can go forward and kick goals.”

The Tigers proved to be one of the competition’s most efficient teams with ball in hand in Round 1, ranked third for disposal efficiency (73.9%), while the Bulldogs defensive pressure was a trademark of their victory over the Eagles.

The Bulldogs laid a league leading 94 tackles to turn the screws on West Coast last Saturday, with seven of the Bulldogs squad managing 20 or more pressure acts.

It will be the this type of defensive endeavour without the ball that will help curb the influence of the Tigers’ midfield runners.

“We’ll definitely have our work cut out for us but if we can stop it at the source and not let them get the ball on the outside, I think will go a long way to winning it.”

The addition of Lin Jong, Jason Johannisen and Mitch Honeychurch to the Dogs’ midfield in round one provided pace and depth, and something Wallis says will be a contributing factor if the Dogs are to take home the four points.

“I think we’ve got the ability to and I think we’ve got the game style and plan to do it.”