A strong, physical contest is what the Western Bulldogs are urging on Sunday, when they face the tough task of an in-form Essendon outfit at Etihad Stadium.

Drawing on the side’s clearance winning abilities and increased tackling pressure, Senior Coach Brendan McCartney said his men would look to bring a higher level of physicality against the Dons, after Port Adelaide pushed them for three quarters last week.

“Port Adelaide took the game up to them last week, they were physical with them, they hunted them and put pressure on them, which you should do every week,” McCartney said.

“That is what we want to focus on.”

While McCartney is confident the Dogs can match it with Essendon around the contest, he said the next step was to capitalise on their hard work and become more fluent and damaging in their ball movement.

“We are confident with our ability around the ball, that’s been pretty well spoken about,” he said.

“The next challenge for us is when we win our fair share of contests… that we are able to move the ball and put some pressure on the opposition defensively.”

McCartney said Essendon have the spread of talent to cover the loss of captain Jobe Watson, who has been ruled out with a broken collarbone.

With 11 wins from 14 starts this season, McCartney said the Bombers’ current form is a result of strong recruiting and coaching over a number of years.

“They’ve built a strong list with a lot of early picks, three years of constant refinement of how they want to play,” McCartney said.

“They are well placed, they are a good team.”