With plenty on the line, Bulldogs’ senior coach Luke Beveridge has implored his side to make the most of the opportunity in Ballarat on Sunday.
The Bulldogs can secure a finals place with victory over the Giants at Mars Stadium, with Beveridge telling media on Wednesday morning that he was keen for a fast start.
"A huge amount to play for, a lot on the line for a lot of clubs this week,” Beveridge said.
“We need a better start to this week’s game than we had last week. Our energies on the track today and again on Friday will definitely go into a pretty detailed preparation to play them because they've (GWS) have been in pretty good form.
“Like always, against them - we know what were up against, a great contest.”
Despite a promising week on the track, ruck Tim English remains an outside chance for the Round 24 clash, with the coach confident in the ability of swingman Rory Lobb.
“(English) is close … hopefully he gets a chance, and we get a look (at finals) by winning this weekend but, we don’t anticipate he’s going to be available this week,” Beveridge said.
“(Lobb) will have a bit of a lighter week. Lobby has almost got that attitude that if you cut a leg off, he’ll grow it back.
“I was trying to work out what sort of reptile – I’ll get in a bit of trouble here – whether it’s a salamander or a chameleon or just your garden variety lizard that can do that but, Lobby - that’s why I love his attitude.
“He’s a very durable player, and he’s just got the attitude to match.
"I love that straight away; he’ll declare that he’s going to be OK and that's what we want to hear."
While the Bulldogs will be without the services of Rhylee West, Beveridge was confident the team would have several strong options on the back of another strong outing from a number of players in the VFL.
“Lachie McNeil probably played more wing time than he has in the past in the game just gone – he’s an option to play those forward minutes that 'Westy' usually plays,” he said.
“Westy has had a hit of midfield time prior to last week, so with Caleb (Daniel) and Jack (Macrae) coming onto the ground near the end of the game, there are some options there for that midfield that weren’t there previously.
“The boys had a pretty good win for Footscray against Sydney last week, so we’ve got some candidates to come in and play some forward time in Rhylee’s absence."
With public tickets now exhausted for the Club's final game of the 2024 home-and-away season, fans can watch all the action via KAYO and Fox Footy from 12:30PM (AEST) and follow along via the Club's social media and official app.
