Despite overcoming West Coast in the opening round of the season, Western Bulldogs midfielder Marcus Bontempelli says the Dogs will face a different challenge when they head to Perth in round 21.
The Dogs’ were 10-point victors in round one, and with 22 disposals and ten tackles, Bontempelli was one of the Dogs’ best on the night.
Twenty weeks on, the Bulldogs will face the Eagles on their home turf and Bontempelli says the match up should shape up differently to their previous contest.
“We’ve played them once already this year and I think both teams have probably come a long way in the way that they’re playing footy and probably playing a bit different.
“There will probably be new challenges that we have to face this week and new structural things that West Coast might do differently so I think at this point of the year there’s going to be quite a bit of difference.
“We’ll be hoping to bring the same intensity and the same effort as we did, and hopefully with a win we can keep us going through the rest of the year.”
Comparing round one to round 20, the Bulldogs fielded six different players, while the Eagles played seven players on the weekend that did not play in round one.
Although both teams will match up differently this weekend, both teams will be coming off scintillating form in recent weeks.
Bontempelli said it was integral the Bulldogs take that momentum through the week and into the match on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s important with the reviews that we get as much as we can and all the positives out of the game on the weekend.
“In saying that we’ve got recovery to do still and obviously we’ve got a quick turnaround, a travel game to Perth so it’s important we recovery nicely and get ready to go for a big game away.”