Western Bulldogs defender Easton Wood says he is interested to see how teams will adapt to the faster-paced game as the season progresses.

Wood made a successful return on Good Friday, having suffered a hamstring injury during the pre-season, as the Bulldogs went onto record a 128-point victory over North Melbourne – the biggest winning margin in Club history. 

The 31-year-old said he’s keen to see what impact the new ‘stand’ rule will have on the game, and particularly on how teams go about their defensive set-ups.

“It was great to be back out there, and feel like body-wise that I had everything at my disposal athleticism-wise,” he told Garry Lyon and Tim Watson on SEN 1116 on Tuesday morning.

“I hadn’t really thought about (having to modify my game) because it’s so early in the piece, but now that we’re through this weekend the game certainly looks like it’s getting faster.

“I suppose with that man on the mark rule as a defender, you’re probably going to be exposed to more 1:1 contests rather than come across and help out with that outnumber play.

“It’ll be really interesting to see how that continues to pan out – we might have a bit more work on our hands.”

He also revealed his excitement for the challenge that awaits this weekend against Brisbane, as the Dogs look to continue their undefeated start to 2021.

“It’ll be a great challenge for us - they’ve gotten the better of us the last couple of times we’ve played the Lions,” Wood said.

“It’ll be nice to try and balance that score – we’re really looking forward to that challenge on the weekend.”

The Western Bulldogs will host Brisbane at Mars Stadium in Ballarat on Saturday 10 April from 1.35pm AEST.

Tickets for this weekend’s match will go on-sale today (Tuesday 6 April) for Bulldogs Ballarat members.

More ticketing information and on-sale dates can be found here.