The high-pressure environment of a packed Etihad Stadium will have little impact on the young Western Bulldogs side, according to Jack Macrae.

The Bulldogs take on Collingwood on Sunday afternoon, in what is a must-win game for the Pies after dropping outside the top eight this week.

Macrae said the Bulldogs won’t be overawed by the occasion, after coming away with a win in round two against Richmond, with the crowd that day approaching 50,000.

“We don’t normally play in front of big crowds but from memory against Richmond we had a big crowd there and we played pretty well.

“With a young side, we want to play in big games in the future and perform well.”

With a win on Sunday and other results going their way, the Bulldogs could jump into fifth on the AFL ladder.

Despite the stakes, Macrae said his side will only be focused on getting a good start and maintaining it for four quarters.

“In the last few weeks we’ve been a bit slow to start and a bit flat so just getting the energy from the first bounce, and have no lapses, and not have to fight back into the game.

“If we can get off to a really good start, it can really help us build for the rest of the match.”

After an eight-day break, the Dogs will head in to the round 17 match refreshed and prepared for the challenge.

“It was a tight affair on the weekend and we probably didn’t play our best footy on the day but there were a few positives to take away and we’ve really freshened up.

“It’s an eight day break so especially coming in today everyone’s straight ahead looking forward to Collingwood, and it’s going to be a pretty big weekend.”