WESTERN Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade says it is back to future for the Dogs as they try to keep September alive.

The Dogs were terrific early in the year, but fell away after the second bye and limped into the finals, winning just two of the last seven in the regular season.

They finished third, but went into the finals as a shadow of the team that had started the season so well.

Eade says his side needs to recapture the form that got them the second chance.

“"It's a good question, isn't it? I suppose we're all amateur psychologists, whether you work at the fruit shop or whether you're a senior coach,” he said.

“I think it is just reverting back to what we did in the first 12 or 14 weeks, and the way we went about it in those games.

"People talk about how the game has changed a lot – and it has – but the more it changes, the more it stays the same.

"It's about winning the ball, doing something with it, and putting pressure on the opposition.

"Certainly, in the first 12 or 14 weeks, we were reasonable in those three areas, and on Friday night, we were poor in them.

"So that's the game we've got to get back to, and the Swans are very good in that area, so that's a good test for us, to be able to respond in the right way."

The Bulldogs were dismantled by the Hawks on Friday night to the tune of 51 points, but Eade said everyone had come through the weekend physically okay.

"Everyone's fine. There's obviously a few little knocks and bruises and those sort of things, but everyone will be right, or, everyone will be available for Friday night."