Not shy of a challenge in 2015, the Western Bulldogs playing group are primed for their battle with Geelong this weekend, according to defender Dale Morris.

The veteran will run out for his 200th game on Saturday afternoon in Geelong but said the milestone was irrelevant to how his side would attack the match.

“They’ve been a powerhouse over the last few years… and they’ve got their fortress at home so it’s never an easy task against Geelong so the boys are up for the challenge.

“Milestone or no milestone we’ll be going in with the same attitude, the same desire and try and get the ultimate result.”

Although success has eluded the Dogs at the Cats’ home ground since 2003 but the Morris was confident that the young batch of Dogs would be able to find a way on Saturday.

“The last four games probably haven’t gone the way that way wanted to… but to grind out a win and find a way to win shows maturity in the team.”

Morris heaped praise on the seasons of the Dogs’ young brigade, crediting their sixth place on the ladder to the development of their younger players.

“(It) shows the growth of where we’ve come from with the young guys coming through and it’s an exciting thing to watch.

“They’re not relying on the old guys , it’s the young guys in ‘Bonts’ and ‘String’ and ‘Jacko’ and ‘JJ’ down back and they’re really stepping up at crucial times.

“That’s a sign of a team that’s growing and going in the right direction.”

Although unsure of his match up on the weekend, Morris expected he would cross paths with Steve Johnson at some stage throughout the match.

“I’ve had a couple of battles with Stevie J, it’s always an interesting game on Stevie J, you don’t know what you’re going to get from him.

“He’s got a bag of tricks so you need to be prepared for anything… Stuff that he can do in particular is just out of the box so you just need to be ready to go.”