The Western Bulldogs pre-season preparations are set to be tested on Sunday against an in-form West Coast outfit but Senior Coach Brendan McCartney is confident his players are up to the challenge.
The Eagles are a daunting prospect on the wide expanses of Patersons Stadium and McCartney said the Bulldogs’ hard work over the summer will be tested in the season opener.
“We still did lots of running in the summer, we are about to find out if we’ve done enough,” McCartney said.
“We’ve done a lot of high intensity drills that reflect how a game should be played and we are about to find out if it’s enough.
“It’ll be challenging but we’re getting ready to go over and represent ourselves.
“We are really looking forward to getting on a plane and going to play a good game of footy.”
McCartney said the Bulldogs strong showing against last year’s grand finalists Fremantle during the NAB Challenge was a promising sign.
While the Eagles have a convincing record against the Bulldogs in Perth in recent years, McCartney said it would not be a factor in Sunday’s game.
“Every year is different and every game is different, we just have to make sure we start well and deal with being interstate and prepare well,” McCartney said.