Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli knows exactly what is at stake this weekend. 

Win against Fremantle – and a finals berth await. Lose to the Dockers – and barring other results falling favourably, it’s likely season over.

But that challenge is one which excites Bontempelli and his side, as they strive for a finals berth in the most challenging of seasons. It’s one they’ve had in front of them for the past fortnight, with wins against the West Coast Eagles and Hawthorn keeping those ambitions alive.

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“It’s excitement more than anything that we’ve got plenty to play for,” Bontempelli said of the mood in the Bulldogs’ camp, on RSN Breakfast Club. 

“In a season where there’s been a lot of challenges, to be in a position where we can potentially take things further is really exciting.

“That’s the sense I get from the group, that everyone is really pumped and looking forward to the challenge of Freo this week.

“We’re fully expecting their best, so we’ll have to be right on top of our game.”

The in-form Dockers present a significant challenge, with Bontempelli acknowledging there’s no room to think ‘what if’ about what could lie ahead.

“It’s very much business as usual,” he said.

“We probably only need to reflect on the past few weeks and reflect on the things that have worked for us – and identified maybe a couple of things that haven’t – to keep things steady.

“The focus has to be process-driven as opposed to outcome.”

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One thing that will hold the Bulldogs in good stead is that they’ve been here and done this before.

In 2019, a final-round win was also needed to qualify for finals football, with the Bulldogs delivering the goods on that occasion against the Adelaide Crows in Ballarat.

“It’s not too dissimilar to how we finished last season, in terms of needing to win that last game to consolidate our position,” Bontempelli said.

“With that comes a good challenge, some excitement – there’s some adrenaline, definitely – but we’re feeling good about hopefully what we can do.”