Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge hopes a brief glimpse of form will remind his side what they can achieve at their best.
A week after being thrashed by Adelaide, the reigning premiers returned to the winner’s circle with a 20-point victory over Carlton on Sunday.
It wasn’t the complete performance Bulldogs fans might have hoped for but there were clear signs of improvement, with their movement by hand reminiscent of last year’s finals glory.
The 11th-placed Dogs face Gold Coast in Cairns on Saturday with Beveridge acknowledging they must put together a run of victories to stand a chance of making the finals.
“It’s really hard in this game to have tapers and peaks,” Beveridge said on Tuesday.
“I do believe – I think everyone does – that when you see some evidence of what you can do well, it reminds you of why you can be a good side.
“We saw a bit of that on the weekend. The effect that that has on us, time will tell.”
The Dogs have chopped and changed their lineup throughout the season – partly a result of injuries but also for form-related reasons – but Beveridge said they would mostly stick with their winning formula from the Carlton game.
At least one change will be forced, with Jake Stringer set to miss several weeks with a hamstring strain.
Fellow tall forward Jack Redpath must also prove his fitness after being sent for scans earlier in the week.
Travis Cloke is a strong chance to replace Stringer after a strong fortnight in the VFL, having taken time off last month to deal with mental health issues, while Tory Dickson is also in the mix.
“He didn’t miss much training so I don’t think that’s a big concern,” Beveridge said.
“It’s more about the process of feeling good in mind and body.
“He appears to have enjoyed the last two weeks so we’ll work through that at match committee level.
“There’s a couple of sore boys who we think will get through but if we need to make a couple of changes, Tory will definitely be considered.”
The Bulldogs will decide later in the week whether veteran defender Matthew Boyd can return from a “nagging” Achilles issue.