Confidence and combination will play a key role for the Bulldogs in Sunday’s clash against the red-hot Eagles, after naming their most inexperienced side of the season to make the trip west.

The Dogs opponents West Coast sit second on the ladder and come into the round 21 fixture having toppled the league-leaders Fremantle in the western derby last weekend.

With 400-games of senior-experience staying at home in the form of injured pair Matthew Boyd and Liam Picken, their replacements in rookie duo Roarke Smith and Daniel Pearce will both play their first senior games of the season on Sunday.

The pair will become the 38^th and 39^th players used by the Bulldogs in 2015, the equal-most with Richmond of any top-eight club.

TEAMS: View the complete Western Bulldogs line-up for Sunday’s Round 21 clash with the West Coast Eagles at Domain Stadium.

For Pearce it will be his first senior game since his first season in 2012, while Smith will make his AFL debut after being recruited from the Calder Cannons in the 2014 NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

Smith will become the seventh Bulldog to debut this year, again a league-high for a top-eight side.

Both players however will enter the AFL arena with confidence and form on their side, after impressing in state-league action for Footscray across the last month.

It has been a recipe that has worked for coach Luke Beveridge and the Bulldogs in season 2015, with VFL form rewarded and players afforded their chance to play a like role in an identical system in the AFL ranks.

Speaking with 93.1 Sport FM in Perth, midfielder Mitch Wallis said Beveridge’s ability to unite the group and have them working in adventurous harmony on-field has been a cornerstone of their 13-6 season record to date.

“Luke’s come in and gelled the group together…and started playing for each other,” Wallis said.

“If we have key players out, we have players step right in and take up their roles.

“He wants you to bring your strengths to the floor.

“The main thing he did was just instil belief at the start of the year, we’ve been going into every game believing we can win, and having confidence that our game plan will stack up.”

Only two players named in Sunday’s side – Robert Murphy and Dale Morris – have over 100 senior games to their credit, 10 have less than 33 matches to their credit, however that won’t daunt the fearless young side. Nor will the road trip.

The Bulldogs have won on the road in Sydney against the Swans, and in Cairns against the Gold Coast Suns this season.

While just another match in the context of the season, Wallis says his teammates are mindful of the opportunity to test themselves against one of the competition’s form sides.

“They’re top two, they’ve taken some really big scalps, but I think if we can curb their influence in the midfield, and deny that access to the forward line, I think that will go a long way to getting the result we want.”

OPPOSITION ANALYSIS: View a comprehensive look at the Bulldogs’ Round 21 opponent West Coast.