A shift in defensive mindset has been the catalyst for the Western Bulldogs’ improved performances over the past three weeks, according to senior coach Luke Beveridge.

The Bulldogs have won their past three outings after two disappointing defeats to the start the season, which sees them sitting in eighth spot on the ladder.

Speaking ahead of his side’s Sunday night clash with Carlton on the Gold Coast, Beveridge said his side had made a number of adjustments since those first two games.

“Every club had to deal with the challenges leading into round one and every club had to deal with the challenges leading into round two,” Beveridge said.

“Perhaps we didn’t quite manage it as well as some of the other clubs.

“I said after the round two game that we needed to make some changes and adjustments to our defensive system, not just our backline.

“We’ve managed to do that and quite critically that’s been a really important swing to minimise and then create some scoring opportunity off that.

“That’s really been important.”

The Blues and Bulldogs shared the spoils in their 2019 meetings, winning one apiece.

Beveridge is under no illusions as to the threat the Blues pose and how important it will be for his side to maintain its winning style, albeit in a new environment of a Gold Coast hub.

“Now that we’ve created a bit of a form line the last few weeks, we’ve got a challenge for continuity,” he said.

“We know that the Blues have been really competitive and probably had some slow starts.

“We need to be right on our mettle at the start of this game and expect that they’re going to do their best to make sure they have a good first quarter at least.”