Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has praised superstar midfielder Marcus Bontempelli for setting the tone early in the Dogs' rousing interstate win over Port Adelaide on Saturday night.

In difficult wet conditions, Bontempelli looked a class above and handled the ball with ease, laying the foundation for the Dogs' upset 25-point victory. 

Bontempelli had 11 contested possessions, six clearances and four inside 50s in the first quarter before the Power applied a hard tag, but he still finished with 27 disposals and 10 tackles. 

Beveridge said the midfielder set the tone for the Dogs early when the game was there to be won. 

"He got us out of the blocks and set the example in foreign territory," Beveridge said. 

"He handled the ball cleanly and gave us the upper hand and it was a huge first quarter from him. 

"Obviously they sat on him even harder after that, but he kept working extremely hard." 

Saturday's result was the Bulldogs' first win at Adelaide Oval since their premiership year in 2016 and leaves them only a game outside the top eight with a 6-8 record.

Beveridge said finals was very far from his mind but admitted the win would give his side belief it could match it with the competition's best. 

"We feel like we're not far away. It is an important night for us because we haven't won interstate in a while," he said.

"The boys will get a lot of belief out of it."