WESTERN Bulldogs defender Easton Wood has declared his side capable of upsetting the Adelaide Crows at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night.
The Crows are one of the form sides of the competition - they are yet to taste defeat this year, an unbeaten run that included a clean-sweep of the NAB Cup.
Watch AFL Media's Catherine Ellis' chat with Easton Wood on the media player above, or via our Club Mobile App here.
The Crows have also turned AAMI Stadium into a fortress, winning all four of their NAB Cup games there, including crushing pre-season wins over two top-four sides from last season, Collingwood and West Coast.
But Wood is excited by the opportunity the round-two contest presents for the Bulldogs. It's a refreshing outlook given his club is in the embryonic stages of a new coaching regime and are necessarily more focused on process than results.
"I don’t think I've ever gone into a game where I haven’t given us a chance," he said at Whitten Oval on Thursday afternoon.
"They've been really impressive in the pre-season but it's a good challenge to go over there. I'm sure we'll test them out and hopefully we'll come away with a win."
The Bulldogs boast a strong recent record against the Crows. They have won their past four clashes by an average of 30 points, including the past two at AAMI Stadium.
The Dogs were very good for two-and-a-half quarters last week before the Eagles powered away. Wood said they learned a lot from the experience.
"'Macca' [coach Brendan McCartney] said at the start of the game he wasn't concerned whether we won or lost," Wood said.
"Because we've had the new coach and the last six months has been tireless work with our new game plan and the new way we want to play, that was the main focus.
"I think we were more focused on that side of it than the actual result."
Wood was joined at Whitten Oval by world-class Caribbean sprinters Michael 'Frate Train' Frater and Kim Collins, both of whom will run in the Stawell Gift at the weekend.
Wood - whose parents represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games - is regarded as the fastest Dog over 20m. In high school he ran a personal best time of 10.9 seconds for the 100m.
"We don’t race too often, but a couple of guys might be nipping at my heels these days," he said. "Zeph Skinner's pretty lively over 20."
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