THE SECOND-TERM interchange blunder that could have cost the Western Bulldogs the lead in Friday night's semi-final against the Sydney Swans now means little.

That's the word from captain Brad Johnson, buoyed by his side's impressive 37-point victory and its plans for a preliminary final against Geelong.

Former Cat Tim Callan entered the field incorrectly in the second quarter, running onto the ground to the right of the marked interchange gate, before being called back by his steward.

However, the umpires spotted the infringement and the Dogs were penalised.

Forward Shaun Higgins, about to have a shot on goal, had the ball taken away for Swans defender Tadhg Kennelly to kick for goal at the other end.

Up by five points, the Dogs retained their lead when Kennelly hit the post.

"I think it will be forgotten, we got the result," Johnson said at the club's recovery session.

"Shaun Higgins was pretty flat, he was going to kick his second goal in a row and the ball got taken off him.

"We shuffled off to the other side of the bench after that. All the players were sitting on the wrong side at one stage so we moved across so it didn’t happen again."