Western Bulldogs AFLW coach Nathan Burke says he has used the longer layoff between seasons to fine-tune skills and implement a new-look game-plan.

The AFLW Bulldogs commenced pre-season training in late May, and now six weeks into the official block are starting to see dividends of their early work.

“We’ve had quite a long break since last season. Last year we obviously had the two seasons in one year and we finished up before Christmas, so we’ve pretty much been training with the players both officially and unofficially since then,” Burke told SEN’s Dwayne Russell on Wednesday afternoon.

“What you’ll see through that added time is an increase in skill, because we’ve been able to do a whole lot of that.

“Also, because we’ve had the extra time we’ve been able to do a bit more on the game-plan because of that extra skill too.”

Burke said it’s important to strike a balance between playing attractive football versus playing football that suits the team.

“As a coach, I have to think ‘what is the ideal style that is going to win an AFLW premiership?’ and then I try and build my players into playing that style and having the capability to play that style,” he said.

“We’re still at the stage where we get eyes looking at us for the first time thinking ‘what’s this all about’?

“I think we’ve still got a responsibility to play an attractive brand of football. That fits in with the way I want to play and the way the players want to play – that attractive, free-flowing sort of football.

“It all points to hopefully most coaches saying ‘hey, let’s really take this game on’.

“If we get scored against, so be it – but for the betterment of the game, let’s play some really attractive footy.”

The 2023 AFLW season is scheduled to commence in early September, with a fixture to be finalised in due course.