Western Bulldogs leader Caleb Daniel has lauded new assistant coach Brendon Lade for his impact so far this pre-season.

Daniel, who is one of several players being trialled in different positions ahead of the 2023 campaign, said hearing from someone different of Lade’s calibre has been beneficial.

“Ladey is a very experienced campaigner and has been around the AFL for a long time,” Daniel told 3AW on Tuesday night.

“We’ve got a pretty handy midfield that he’s coming in to help out there, so it’s been great to be able to hear his voice and hear some different things coming from him.

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“He’s really honed in on that midfield group, - there’s guys coming through that necessarily haven’t played too much there, and guys that have played 200 games there. It’s an exciting blend.”

The Bulldogs will compete in an intraclub match simulation at Mars Stadium this weekend, as they ramp up preparations for round one - just over three weeks away.

Daniel said the intraclub game will be a great chance to put some of their pre-season lessons and preparations into effect.

“You probably hear it from everyone – that the boys are flying – but it’s certainly been that way from a Doggies end,” Daniel said.

“I think coming back in early December, we really strived to be a bit better than we have been previously and guys have come back in great nick which is certainly showing.

“We’re running great GPS numbers – and there are guys playing in several different positions, which is something Bevo holds in pretty high regard.

“It’s an exciting blend, so hopefully we’ll be able to roll that out throughout the year.”