WESTERN Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney says a major part of the motivation for his side's 38-point win over Port Adelaide on Sunday night was a steely resolve to honour the memory of club legend Charlie Sutton.

"Charlie Sutton and his presence and what he means in our club's history, it resonated with the players," McCartney said.

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"I think they wanted to represent him and his family really well today. They didn’t say much but when his name got mentioned in the pre-match, I think it hit a cord with them."

McCartney didn’t need to conjure Sutton's memory in his addresses to his players - they were already inspired.

"We mentioned (Sutton) briefly, but there's no doubt the players came to the game with him on their mind and wanting to do well for him and the Sutton family," he said.

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"But there's a lot more to the game than that. The last thing I want to do is attribute everything to that. There was a lot of effort in our game today and a lot of commonsense too."

It had been an emotional week for the Bulldogs, with each of the players having met and shaken hands with Sutton. And some had known him as more than just an acquaintance.

Asked if his team had been affected by Sutton's loss, McCartney said: "Yeah, I think it did, in a positive way.

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"I think the older players had built strong relationships with him, just the decency of the person. And I think when you're in a football club, things like that tend to filter down. When you’re a young player and impressionable, people come into the club - great people in the club's history - and you see the impact it has on the older players."

Two such young players, father-son selections Mitch Wallis and Ayce Cordy, had been indoctrinated with the Sutton legacy from an early age.

Wallis, who starred for the Dogs with a career-best 29 disposals, said the enormity of Sutton's contribution to the club had hit home during Friday's memorial service.

"I've met Charlie Sutton a few times but going to his memorial (service) and hearing the words of the greats like Chris Grant and Brad Johnson adds a lot of meaning to it," he said.

"He was such a great man. You walk off the ground at training and he was always there, shaking your hand. To have that one-on-one, personal contact with him still resides in me.

"And to play well as a team really meant a lot to their family hopefully and to us."

Cordy, who kicked two goals, said he had been "touched" by the outpouring of emotion for Sutton.

"The pride he had in the club and the people was an inspiration in itself, so it was good we could pay tribute to him with a win today," he said.