WESTERN Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade says his players are over their heart-breaking one-point loss to Collingwood and are looking forward to a high-scoring clash with Essendon this Friday night.

Eade said the Dogs were shattered in the immediate aftermath of last Friday night's result but had put it behind them in preparation for the looming match with the in-form Bombers.

"They were mentally disappointed but once they arrived back here on Monday they were fine and back on the horse," Eade said at Whitten Oval on Tuesday.

"I think there were a lot of positives out of that game and certainly areas that were poor ... that we can fix pretty quickly.

"Like every week, it's back on this week. Our thoughts are totally on Essendon."

Eade said the close result between the third and fourth-placed sides was not necessarily an indication of the way September could pan out.

"I don't think we're really going to know until finals time," he said.

"Geelong lost to Collingwood in 2007 by 80 points and they won the premiership. Last year, we lost to Geelong by 60-odd and played quite well in the preliminary final.

"Things can turn around pretty quickly, even if you suffer a bad loss.

"I don't think there's a lot between the top five teams. Adelaide is a very good side, but certainly the top two have set the pace so far and we've got to catch them."

This year, the Dogs lead the competition for goals scored at an average of 16.8 a game, while the Bombers come in sixth with 14.

Eade expects a free-flowing, fast game between two sides known for their scoring ability.

"I think both teams will take the game on. Both teams have some very talented players and both teams rely on quick ball movement, so I think we'll see a lot of that," he said.

"Both teams will play to their strengths and we probably could end up with a 25-goal a side game."

He also agreed the Bombers were the side most similar to the Bulldogs and their game style, but that the likeness didn't mean they were any easier to plan for.

"You can see some similarities to what we were a couple of years ago," he said. "They've certainly got some very talented players.

"They've got three or four older players but most of them are young, and they've certainly got a great future.

"The difference is different personnel. They've got two key forwards as well, who can mark the ball and kick well, which is different to us.

"They're probably a bit younger and bit quicker as well. But you plan for their strengths and their weaknesses, they'll do the same with us, and they'll try and stop our run and we'll try and stop theirs."

Eade said the Bulldogs were likely to enter the match unchanged after getting through the weekend without any injuries.