With a 4-5 win-loss record after nine rounds, Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says it's the right time to "break the circuit" and make a quartet of changes heading into a crunch game against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The 12th-placed Dogs have used just 28 players this season, the second-fewest in the competition, but the omissions of Billy Gowers, Will Hayes, Fletcher Roberts and Lachie Young has paved the way for a new-look side.
"A handful of boys at times haven't been going so well with their direct involvements in the game, and we've persisted with them and their output over a number of weeks," Beveridge said on Friday.
"It's just probably time to break the circuit and give them a chance to get their form back.
"There's been a number of boys who have been banging the door down in recent weeks to come up, and we need to give them an opportunity.
"Those four changes were no-brainers in the end as far as our philosophy goes."
TEAM NEWS | DOGS MAKE FOUR CHANGES
Ruckman Tim English returns from missing a fortnight with leg soreness, while the strong performances of Bailey Williams, Bailey Dale and Patrick Lipinski in the VFL were rewarded with promotion.
Dale and Lipinski will feature at AFL level for the first time in 2019, with the latter made to fight for his inclusion after playing 17 games last season. Beveridge flagged a change of role for the 20-year-old midfielder as the reason for his selection.
"There were a few things Pat's been working on and this whole start to the VFL season he's played as an inside mid for Footscray. We've been rapt with his progress there and how he's blossoming, so we'll give him an opportunity as an inside mid at AFL level," Beveridge said.
"He deserves his chance and he's probably been the most consistent out of all those boys, but he has taken on some new responsibilities in a new role."
The past six meetings between the Dogs and Roos have been decided by less than three goals, and while Beveridge is anticipating another tough encounter, he believes a tinkered game plan will produce a contest that looks different to those that preceded it.
"North have always been a more mature and physically bigger side than us, and we've found a way to beat them at different times," he said.
"They've always been pretty dour, contested games and they've historically played a bit of a longer-kicking, down-the-line (game).
"They're a different side at the moment the way they're moving the ball, the way they're defending. We're expecting to face a pretty different North Melbourne outfit."
