Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says the team will remain positive ahead of Friday’s ANZAC clash against Fremantle, despite slipping on Saturday night in Gather Round.

The Bulldogs remained close to Port for three quarters, before the hosts ran away 14-point victors in the last quarter.

Beveridge said was a disappointing result, considering his side had worked their way into the match to lead by a narrow two-point margin at the final break.

“Tonight was just a great opportunity to beat another team who might be a contender at the end of the year, but we fell short,” he told reporters post-game.

“We’re disappointed, but we’ve got to stay positive because we believe in ourselves.

“The game presents you no favours – you have to fight for everything. While we’re trying to establish a foothold on the week-to-week process of where we might be in the scheme of things, you have to make the most of the games when you’re in them. We’ve let one slip tonight.

“To Port’s credit, they’ve won a tight one. The last couple of weeks in the last quarter, we’ve been hard to play against and fought the games out, but we didn’t tonight.”

Beveridge was full of praise for returning small forward Cody Weightman, who bagged four goals in his first hit-out of the year, and for defender Liam Jones, who stood tall with five marks, 15 disposals and seven rebound 50s in tough conditions.

“Flea played a really telling game - in these conditions, to play that sort of game as a small forward, you’ve got to be running some pretty courageous patterns. I thought he was really influential,” Beveridge said.

“It’s a tremendous return. He’s a very difficult player to play against, so it’s a good sign for him and for us in the ensuing rounds.

“It’s that kind of night that was difficult for key forwards, so I thought Liam Jones up the other end was outstanding for us.”

The Bulldogs will fly to Perth today in preparation for a Friday night blockbuster at Optus Stadium against the Dockers.