Outsiders have been quick to declare the Western Bulldogs are 'back' after their third win in a row but key defender Zaine Cordy says there's more improvement to come.
Form fluctuations and injuries to key personnel has been the story of the Dogs’ season so far, but Luke Beveridge's side has shown signs of life over the past three weeks, with wins over Carlton, Gold Coast and Essendon moving them to ninth - the last in a group of four teams with 10 wins for the season.
"It's been good but we're definitely not back yet - we've got some improvement to come in the few rounds left," Cordy said on Tuesday.
"It's definitely good to see that we're playing the sort of footy we know we can play. It's been a bit frustrating when we haven't performed the way we know we can.
"We're starting to hit our straps a little bit but there's a still a long way to go. We're still not guaranteed a finals spot.
"There's still plenty of pressure on."
With just 26 AFL games under his belt, Cordy is a part of one of the most inexperienced key back tandems in the league, along with Lewis Young (three games).
Defensive stalwarts Dale Morris (arm) and Marcus Adams (foot) will battle to make it back on the field this campaign, but Cordy says Beveridge has given him the confidence to take on any opponent.
"He wants (me) to play on instinct ... to defend first then let the offence follow," he said.
"There will always be teams that doubt us because of the inexperienced players that have come into our team ... I definitely use that as motivation to prove them wrong."
Stringer, who injured a hamstring in round 17, is set to return to full training next week, while Dunkley will play in the VFL this weekend after suffering a serious shoulder injury in round seven.
