SAME OPPORTUNITY. Same elation. Same disappointment.

Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade says his side is looking for nothing less than a win in Friday night's preliminary final against Geelong.

The Cats are huge favourites, but Eade said once the knockout finals arrived, the sides were equal in the potential disillusionment stakes.

"We've got a lot to lose – we've got as much to lose as Geelong, and that's a grand final spot," he told westernbulldogsfc.com.au exclusively.

"That's what we're playing for, and if either team loses, they'll be equally disappointed on the Monday. We'll be equally disappointed as Geelong would be if they lost the game.

"We're going there to win, that's what we want to do. As the old saying goes, we're not here to run second, third or fourth."

The Bulldogs were level with the Cats at half-time when they last played in round 16, but the Cats gained control in the third term and went on to win by 61 points.

But that was at Skilled Stadium down in Sleepy Hollow, and almost no Bulldogs supporters were able to get tickets.

This Friday night is at the MCG, and Eade urged Dogs supporters to take the opportunity to fly the colours.

"There's no doubt about that, it'll be fantastic for our supporters to come along.

"It was a bit disappointing on Friday night against the Swans – I don't know what the percentage was of our members who didn't turn up, but obviously there were a few who didn't.

"Hopefully they can see their way to get there on Friday night, it'd be fantastic to see more red, white and blue than the dark navy blue colours around.

“It'd be fantastic to have that support, so hopefully they can get along there."

Eade said the Dogs had to avoid the temptation to concentrate on combating Geelong to the exclusion of doing their own thing.

"They do use the ball a lot, and that's always fairly difficult to counter, but it's more about us, I think.

“We have to worry about the way we play, and what we're going to do.

"I think if you put too much focus on the opposition, you can lose focus on your own direction.

"We've just got to maintain the four-quarter intensity and effort we had last week."