A return to basics prompted the Western Bulldogs second half surge against Collingwood on Sunday, Jackson Macrae says, allowing the young side to turn the momentum and reduce the final margin to 34 points.

While admitting the Bulldogs’ first half was underwhelming, Macrae said his teammates’ willingness to fight back in the third and fourth quarters shows a growing resilience among the group.

“Obviously the first half was really disappointing in effort and contested ball,” Macrae said.

“One of the main focuses coming into the second half was just getting back to the basics and what we do well in contested footy and clearances and being hard around the ball.

“That helped us get back into the game and finish off strong.”

The 18-year-old attributes better kicking efficiency as a key influence in the much improved second half, as well as a conscious effort among the group to take the game on.

“Our ball use picked up as well and our kicking efficiency finished pretty high and we started using the ball well and taking the game on and really testing Collingwood in defence as well,” he said.

The last four rounds have seen Macrae hit his stride, averaging 22 possessions at more than 75% accuracy, but the first round draftee believes the Collingwood clash provided a further learning curve.

Playing against the Magpies’ top line talent through the midfield gave the Oakleigh Chargers recruit a first-hand look at how some of the competition’s elite can influence games and the work rate required.

“It was definitely a great experience playing against some of the stars of the game and seeing how hard they work offensively and just around the footy they communicate really well, so I will take a lot from that,” he said. 

Macrae was named amongst the Bulldogs’ best players for his 22 disposal performance, which included racking up seven disposals and five marks in the last quarter alone.