Western Bulldogs ruck-forward Tim English says defending Sydney’s slick ball movement was a difficult task on Sunday afternoon.

Despite winning the clearances 46-26 and inside-50 count 52-47, the Dogs couldn’t capitalise on their forward forays, going down to the Swans by 19 points at Marvel Stadium.

English said the group will take plenty of lessons out of the loss.

“I thought their ball movement stood out – we found it hard to defend their width plays early in the game,” the 23-year-old said post-match.

“Then their wingers got involved and were able to kick a couple of goals early, and sort of held that gap throughout the game. It’s a tough one but we’ll learn from it and hopefully move on.

“I thought we were quite strong inside this week, but we just weren’t able to lock it in the forward line for long enough.

“They were able to rebound – I think they’re top of the league at the minute for rebound 50 scores, and they showed that today. They were really strong.”

English said next week’s challenge against Gold Coast will be a good opportunity for the team to reset and get back to playing their own brand of footy.

“Being able to be physical, and win that physical battle (is critical),” he said.

“We’ve been able to do that most of the year, but came off that a little bit today which is disappointing.

“I think if we bring that (against the Suns) and bring that intensity in the rest of our games then the rest of (our game) flows on from that.”

The Bulldogs will travel north to take on the Suns at Metricon Stadium on Saturday afternoon.