WESTERN Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade has blamed concentration lapses by some of his senior players for the side's shabby showing against Melbourne on Sunday at Telstra Dome.

The Dogs won the match by 31 points, but their usual precision and accuracy were absent as they tackled the bottom-of-the-table side at the Docklands venue.

Eade was quick to agree his players were off the boil throughout the afternoon, and criticised their performance after having a week off.

"We certainly didn't play very well. I thought our pressure and intensity was pretty good. I thought we tackled hard and thought we chased, and that we harassed them OK," he said.

"But our use of the ball and decision making and basic errors, dropping marks and missing handballs, was very uncharacteristic.

"It was very poor. Whether it was just the first one after the break, I'm not too sure, but we'd want to improve on that.

"Certainly as a professional team, first up after a break, we should have been a bit better than we were."

While Eade took aim at some of the side's key players and said he'll endeavour to "have a chat" with them during the week, he believed the game had not ultimately revealed deficiencies the club must address before meeting Geelong on Saturday.

"I think it's more about what we knew we had to work on when we played Geelong anyway," he said.

"I'm not too perturbed about the showing today. There were a few individuals that I may be concerned about that were poor today, a few of the experienced guys.

"But I think, overall, the guys are looking forward to next week."

Eade said the Bulldogs will approach next Saturday's clash with the ladder leaders as "just another game", despite the fact it looms as one of the matches of the year.

"Playing down there with the Cats playing extremely good footy, it's going to be a huge challenge for us," he said.

"From our point of view, it's just a challenge to play the top side – the best side in the competition.

"I would think out of that, we'll be able to learn some things where we can improve going into September."

The Bulldogs are expecting to get back defender Tom Williams, forward Scott Welsh and midfielder Ryan Griffen in time for next week, while Scott West, Tim Callan and Wayde Skipper are expected to be available the following round.

Eade also said young forward Shaun Higgins played "50 to 60 per cent" in the VFL over the weekend, and is expected to require another three or four games in the seconds before coming into senior consideration.