THE WESTERN Bulldogs may be one of the most entertaining sides to watch when they get their fluent game style up and running, but their ability to get down in the trenches and graft out wins this season is a promising sign according to Daniel Cross.

And the Dogs certainly had to get their hands dirty to dispatch a determined Collingwood side on Sunday.

“We had to scrap for our win and we have done that a few times this year which is a good sign for us,” Cross said.

“We won the hard ball gets again today, but our tackling was a bit down. They’re the best tackling team in the comp so they put us under a fair bit of pressure. Our skills weren’t great, but we did enough to get over the line, so it’s a good sign to be able to come back after being down at half-time.

“We know we’re a fit side and we run out games pretty well. In the past few rounds they haven’t run out games so well. We had that in the back of our minds and we knew if we stuck to our guns and kept chipping away eventually it would swing our way.

“They came back at us again in the last quarter, we knew they would. They are a really good side and they never give up. They’re a bit similar to Sydney like that and we had to dig deep, but it’s good to come away with the win.”

The Bulldogs will definitely play finals having registered 11 and a half wins in 13 rounds of football, but Cross maintains there has been no change in the side’s pre-season goals.

“Every team aims to make the top four, but you just have to respect every side that you come up against each week,” he said.

“Anyone can beat any other side on a given day, so just really have to give each team that respect and do your homework on them.”

No sooner had the dust settled after the 10-point win when the focus shifted to the annual fixture in Darwin. Cross said it was a demanding trip given the hot conditions in the Top End, but was confident the Dogs would adapt to the environment when they take on Port Adelaide next Saturday night.

“We’ve been working really hard in the heat chambers over the last few weeks to prepare for it,” he said.

“You certainly do have to prepare really well and our fitness staff have been right on top of that. We’ve been doing two sessions a week over the last three or four weeks so the guys should be able to perform in the conditions.

“It comes at a good time with the break after because the heat up there does take a bit out of you.”