Western Bulldogs senior coach Luke Beveridge says it is an honour to be back involved in Good Friday footy against North Melbourne this Easter long weekend.

The Bulldogs faced the Kangaroos in the inaugural Good Friday game in 2017, turning around a 29-point deficit early in the third term to emerge three-point victors.

St Kilda (2018) and Essendon (2019) replaced the Dogs against North in the years to follow, but were due to return to the action last season before COVID-19 forced it to be postponed.

Beveridge said it is a proud feeling to be back participating and helping raise much-needed funds for the Good Friday Appeal.

“It’s a great privilege for the Club and our team to be involved on Good Friday, and to help (with) raising funds for the appeal and the ‘Kick for the Kids’,” he told media on Wednesday morning.

“We really look forward to the game - North Melbourne have put a lot of time and energy into promoting the game, and I know how they feel about their involvement.

“For both our clubs, it’s important for the future.”

As part of the lead-up to the game, the Bulldogs hosted Campbell Naughton and his family at the Kennel yesterday, inviting them to spend the morning watching the main training session and meeting the playing group.

Campbell suffers from Polycystic Kidney Disease and is pre-diabetic, having spent majority of his childhood at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH).

Beveridge said the work of both the RCH staff and strength of the Naughton family was courageous.

“We’ve got young Campbell Naughton here with his family which is great - Campbell’s got his own battles on his hands in his life with his health, and we know how courageous Campbell is, and his family goes through a lot of emotional turmoil on that journey,” Beveridge said.

“Obviously the staff at the Royal Children’s Hospital do an amazing job, and (we know) how courageous they all are too.”

This year’s Good Friday ‘Kick for the Kids’ match will begin at 4.20pm at Marvel Stadium.

The Bulldogs enter the clash undefeated, having beaten West Coast in a thriller on Sunday, while the Kangaroos are searching for their first win of 2021.

While there’ll be four points up for grabs on Friday, there’ll also be a cause much bigger than the game to play for too.

The Western Bulldogs will be doing its part to raise money for the Good Friday Appeal, which does a remarkable job to support the monumental work of the Royal Children's Hospital.  

You can donate to the Club’s Good Friday Appeal fundraising page here.