The Bulldogs found plenty of positives to take out of their first official hitout for the 2019 season against Gold Coast in Mackay.

After a narrow loss in the first week of the JLT Community Series, the Dogs have plenty of upside as they build towards the home-and-away season.

In difficult conditions for both teams, the Bulldogs hit the front through Bailey Smith with five minutes remaining, but conceded a late goal to go down by five points.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: SUNS VS BULLDOGS

"We got what we wanted out of it," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said after the match.

"It's the first time we've played genuine opposition, we've been playing against ourselves all pre-season, so there were some real positives to come out of it.

"It was also a good conditioning outing for us. We kept the four going on the bench and we've come away unscathed.

IN THE ROOMS: AARON NAUGHTON POST MATCH

"We just didn't use the ball as we would have liked. It was pretty slippery, and it was windy, but both sides had to deal with it. I think both sides were a bit compromised there.

"It felt like we had our chances. We had 10 more inside 50s … so it was a bit rusty, but there were lots of positives."

The Bulldogs take on St Kilda in Ballarat next Sunday, before a clash with Sydney in Round 1 of the 2019 AFL premiership season on Saturday, March 23.