The Western Bulldogs’ interstate winning run remains intact, courtesy of another covid-related test of mental fortitude.

Following momentous wins over West Coast and Fremantle at Optus Stadium, after enduring week-long stints quarantine, another hastily organised trip across the border ended in four precious premiership points for the Dogs.

This time, on less than 12 hours’ notice, the Bulldogs players and stuff rushed to the airport on Thursday morning bound for the Gold Coast, adjusting their training plans as they went.

They were jumped in the early stages of Saturday afternoon’s clash with a vastly improved and dangerous Suns outfit, conceding the first three goals.

But a brilliant second quarter gave the Bulldogs the upper hand, and they never looked back on their way to an 11-point win, despite being tested until the final siren.

Coach Luke Beveridge paid tribute to his troops for passing yet another mental test against the odds.

“We’re really grateful for what our players have done, when you consider the lead-in to the game,” he said.

“The boys probably hardly slept Wednesday night.  We get up here and spend the next couple of days just trying to work through in preparation.

“For our players to suck that up and come out and perform the way that we did, is full of merit.”

The Bulldogs kicked the first two goals in the last quarter to skip out to a 28-point lead, but the persistent Suns finished strongly with three of the last four goals for the match.

“We never felt comfortable.  Even when we had that little margin halfway through the last quarter, we knew they’d keep coming,” Beveridge said.

“The Suns have always been a hard-working team under Stewy Dew.  We expected that tonight, and it was a significant grind.”