Defender Hayden Crozier says the Western Bulldogs understand the challenge that awaits on Friday night, when they take on rivals GWS Giants in Canberra.

A fierce rivalry has developed between the two sides in recent years, with a number of clashes highlighted by their physical edge.

The two teams have met six times since the Bulldogs’ 2016 preliminary final win against the Giants – most recently in round three last year, where the Dogs emerged 24-point victors in another heated contest.

Crozier said the Bulldogs know what to expect from the Giants, who have won their past two games, but won’t the rivalry distract them from the task at hand.

“There’s obviously going to be a lot of noise around the rivalry that’s been building the last few years, and we understand what we’re going to come up against,” Crozier told westernbulldogs.com.au.

“(The Giants) are a team with a potent forward line, in terms of me speaking with my defensive hat on, but they’re also a team that is certainly better than where they’re probably sitting on the ladder at the moment.

“It’s going to be a physical encounter, it’s going to be on from the start, and we’re definitely going to be ready for that aspect of the game, but you can’t get sucked into too much of that. 

“They’re a team that has been up there for the last few years and we understand the challenge -  they’re good in the air, good on the ground and have got some nifty forwards as well, so we’ll obviously need to win the ball to kick goals and win the game.”

After spending the first four rounds recovering from an AC joint shoulder injury, Crozier returned in last Saturday’s 62-point win over the Gold Coast.

He knows there are still areas of the game the Bulldogs can improve, despite being undefeated and on top of the ladder.

“Last year our defensive rankings weren’t great – we managed to win games pretty much off the back of some offensive brilliance throughout the year,” Crozier said.

“We know that defence wins games, and that’s something we put a really strong emphasis on in the pre-season. We’ve been working extremely hard at trying to rectify some things that we’ve done in the past, and it’s been good so far.

“I think the supporters can really see the edge and determination that we’ve got in our game this year, and there’s (still) certain areas of our game that we feel we can dramatically improve, and that’s going to take us to the next level.”

The Bulldogs will meet the Giants at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Friday night at 7.50pm.