In round four the Western Bulldogs were beaten by a convincing Adelaide lineup but Senior Coach Brendan McCartney says his men are better equipped for Sunday’s twilight clash.

The Crows took control in the wet conditions to defeat the Dogs by 52 points in round four, with the Bulldogs failing to make the most of their forward 50 entries.

“We were quite dysfunctional that day, they played well, it was wet, we weren’t playing great footy,” McCartney said.

“They play a lot differently now and we are a lot more advanced now, we think.”

Both sides have won three games since the mid-season bye and will be looking to add a fourth this weekend.

While a faint hope of finals looms for the Crows, the Bulldogs spirited showing in the past month demonstrates there is still plenty to play for.

McCartney said the Bulldogs need to be increasingly conscious of how they move the ball and not waste opportunities this week against Adelaide while maintaining the recent intensity.

“It is going to present some different challenges to the last few weeks with the way they have been setting up their ground,” he said.

“If they do that we are going to have to play a little bit differently, a little smarter with the ball.”

The Western Bulldogs go head to head with Adelaide on Sunday 18 August 2013 from 4:40pm at Etihad Stadium.