Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has heaped praise on Marcus Bontempelli, revealing the star midfielder fought through an adductor injury to play an all-important role in their five-point win over Greater Western Sydney on Saturday afternoon.

With their season on the line, Bontempelli stood up in the final quarter by registering a team-high ten disposals (at 90 per cent efficiency) to go with four marks and two inside 50s as the Dogs reversed a four-point three-quarter time deficit to keep their finals hopes alive.

Beveridge disclosed post-game that he'd had a meeting with Bontempelli and the club's head of sports medicine, Chris Bell, on Friday regarding his status for the game, with the captain assuring the Bulldogs coach he would be right to play.

"He finished the game alright, didn't he? Which is huge for him because he's struggling a little bit with a niggle or two," Beveridge said.

"My approach to that and my philosophy around anyone who's going to be inconvenienced or compromised in their scope to cover ground just doesn't play. Doesn't matter whether it's Marcus or a second- or third- gamer. If you can't play your role to the letter then you shouldn't be playing.

"Quite transparently, I had Marcus and Chrissy Bell in my office yesterday he's got a bit of an adductor thing going on and (we discussed) whether or not that was going to inhibit him. Both Marcus and Chris were sure he would get through the game and Marcus reassured me that it wouldn't inhibit him.

"But look, he's not 100 per cent. I don't think many players at this point in time (of the season) are absolutely running totally on top of the ground. But I think he pushed through a bit of discomfort today but when it mattered in that last quarter, he really stood up for us."

As a result of their fourth-quarter fightback, the Bulldogs are still a chance of playing finals football for a fourth straight year, but they will need other results to go their way along with a win over Hawthorn in their final game of the season next Sunday.

Beveridge praised the character of his side after they fought off a staunch challenge from the Giants, who despite being in third last on the ladder gave their rivals an almighty scare.

"Tough contest: two words, quite appropriate," Beveridge said.

"To their credit, they really gave that and it was a lot of collision balls and a war of attrition in the end. (There are) a few bloodied heads and bruised and battered bodies at the end of the game.

"So they did that and they played a pretty miserly sort of shutdown defence, which worked for most of the game. And so it was going to be a game of inches.

"The way the boys dug in and showed some real character - I think we kept them goalless in that last quarter.

"It was obviously a really important win in the scheme of things, but a challenging day."

When asked if his side could "shake things up" if they snuck into the eight after the final round, Beveridge remained coy, believing his side still needs to "earn the right" before focusing on a potential finals appearance.

"We are where we are, in the environment of an even competition where many teams can challenge anyone," Beveridge said.

"If we manage to get lucky, then we'll have a twinkling in our eye. But right now, we've got an appreciation that we haven't earned that right.

"We're not that emotional about it. We've accepted that we haven't quite been consistent or good enough at this point in time.