The Western Bulldogs once again proved they are capable of matching the best sides in the competition after Saturday night’s impressive victory over Geelong.
The Dogs have won three of their four games since the bye, two of those coming against top eight sides, and they have also claimed wins against fellow finals bound sides Richmond and Brisbane.
Sandwiched between the highs have been losses to Carlton and Gold Coast, though coach Luke Beveridge is encouraged about what the future holds for his young group as they enter the business end of the season.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: DOGS VS CATS
"I think we've learnt a bit, there's no doubt. You've got to be right on edge against everyone," Beveridge said.
"But in recent times, everyone's asking questions of the teams that we're beating like they aren't fronting up. We're not a bad side.
"If we keep driving like we have been, there's no reason why we can't win most of them."
The Bulldogs made a key structural change at the final change against the Cats, which saw them finish the game full of running with five last quarter goals.
“There’s no doubt that probably for a fair part of the game there were numbers up around the stoppage for both sides, but I felt like they had more of a structured forward line than what we did,” Beveridge said.
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“We made an adjustment at three quarter time, and we pulled the pin and went with six forwards. In the end we won the game.
“Credit to our players, they followed through on a sound strategy, and they held their nerve when early in the game it looked like a strong Geelong outfit were well on top of us.
“They kept their composure, and didn’t panic, and we got ourselves back in the game.”
Beveridge praised the performance of emerging forward Aaron Naughton, who kicked four goals – the second-best tally his young career.
"Obviously with (Tom Boyd) retiring and we haven't had a great deal of depth (up forward) in recent times," Beveridge said.
"We're really grateful for the fact that he's accepted that responsibility. He's enjoyed the role and has helped others play well.
"When you think that he's still only 19, he's obviously a promising player."
