WESTERN Bulldogs midfielder Matthew Boyd believes Friday night's clash with St Kilda will be a perfect test of the club's off-season efforts to become stronger and tougher.

Renowned as a side high on pace and skill but light on muscle, the Bulldogs spent the summer bulking up across the board - recruiting ruckman Ben Hudson to add strength and size.

It is an area that Boyd believes has contributed to the Saints' good record against the Dogs in recent seasons, so Friday night's match should provide a good gauge of their improvement.

"We haven't been regarded as one of the harder sides going around, which is something we've worked really hard on over the summer, so hopefully we can show that hardness on Friday night," Boyd said.

"The Saints are renowned as one of the harder-bodied sides and really good at contested footy, so we're looking to make sure we're even better on the weekend.

"We've changed our game a little bit over the pre-season, which has increased our pressure skills and that sort of thing, so that's one thing we'll be looking to exert."

The Dogs' 95-point thrashing of a Melbourne side which offered little resistance last weekend does not seem the ideal preparation for a clash with the in-form Saints.

But Boyd believes the way the Bulldogs stuck to their task against the Demons will hold them in good stead.

"We finished off the game really well ourselves," he said. "Our pressure was really good and that's the thing we want to take into Friday night, just maintaining the pressure we've been putting on opposition sides so far."

Boyd said Hudson's work at ground level, as much as his ruckwork, had added to the side's ability to win the ball in contested situations.

"His second efforts and his ability to win his own ball at stoppages and get his hands on the footy around the ruck contest has been unreal," he said.

"And he runs pretty hard, works both ways, which is a real positive. He's just been a really good influence."

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.