Western Bulldogs leader Liam Jones says it’s been rewarding to see the back six fast-track their development in recent weeks.

The Bulldogs defensive group has dealt with some change over the past month, whether that be due to injury, form, or players taking on different on-field roles.

Despite this, Jones said he is impressed by the players who have come in and taken the opportunity with both hands.

“The guys at VFL have been performing really well, so there’s pressure on spots,” Jones told SEN 1116 on Tuesday morning.

“Daniel Pratt has come over from West Coast...he’s been great about teaching the system to us. (It’s really important that) whoever is in the team...we play really strong team defence and try to bring that effort and energy.

“I feel like the last few weeks, we’ve been defending quite well as a group.”

Jones praised youngsters Luke Cleary and Joel Freijah for their impact in particular.

“(Luke’s) a good player. I feel like he's still lacking a little bit of belief in himself potentially – he hasn’t played that many games at AFL level, but the things that he does and the way he plays on instinct, he gets in great spots,” Jones said.

“I think with the more experience he gets, he's going to be a really, really good player for us.

“Joel sort of snuck up on us a little bit - he came into the club as a head down, bum up type of operator, where he was just very professional. He strung a few strong games together at VFL level and is just a big-bodied half-backer.

“He’s very confident and believes in his ability. He’s only two games in but has been really strong for us.

“Same as Luke Cleary, he gets in really great spots and has been strong in his contest as well.”

Jones also commended Ed Richards’ recent move to the midfield.

“He’s been unbelievable- we had a look at him in one match sim over pre-season, and he was really good in the midfield.

“We were always a bit nervous as defenders that we might lose him, but with the unfortunate (news that) Libba would be out for a few weeks, he’s been given the opportunity.

“I feel like he's really flourishing in there and he's learning a lot and learning every week. He's been really awesome for us.”

The Bulldogs will host ladder-leaders Sydney on Thursday night in the second week of Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

Jones said if the team can replicate how they’ve been playing the past fortnight, it should hold them in good stead against the Swans.

“I got the chance to watch their game on the weekend - they're in great form,” he said of Sydney.

“They’ve got so many great players, but it’s good for us to come off a couple of good wins. It will be a great test for us to kick off this round on Thursday.

“Earlier in the year it was a bit inconsistent, and probably not the way that we wanted to play in terms of our pressure and the fundamentals of the game.

“The win against Richmond and our win on the weekend - we just had a lot of pressure and were really tough around the ball and good in our contest.

“The wet weather forced us to do this on the weekend – but if we can get those things right every week, with our talented guys on the outside the rest will take care of itself.”

The Bulldogs vs Swans clash will begin at 7.30pm AEST on Thursday night.