Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge is expecting to face another week of "external noise" after the Dogs suffered their fourth loss in five matches.
The Dogs fell to a battling Hawthorn outfit on Sunday by seven points, compounding the pressure placed on Beveridge and his playing group as they look to avoid another finals-less finish.
Sitting in 11th spot on the ladder ahead of a five-week run that includes matches against Richmond, GWS, Sydney, Collingwood and Brisbane, the Bulldogs are entering a critical juncture in their 2024 campaign.
Further questions surrounding Beveridge's planning, both at selection and on-field, are likely to increase, or at least continue, in the wake of the club's latest defeat.
But for the 'thick-skinned' premiership coach, only the concerns within the four walls of Whitten Oval will draw his attention.
"Unless you're winning games, you're always vulnerable to media scrutiny and so we just expect it. It's the nature of the industry,โ Beveridge said following Sunday's loss to the Hawks.
"I've got a thick skin. I can deal with it. But I won't let it affect the way that I care for and manage the playing group.
"We're talking in terms of challenging each other and being better because we know the external noise is a really challenging thing to deal with for any playing group right across the competition.
"So we can only nurture and help and prod and poke around the things that we can improve in, but any external scrutiny we've just got to deal with. It's going to be there."
A total of eight Bulldogs players amassed less than 10 disposals against the Hawks as usual suspects Marcus Bontempelli, Tim English and Adam Treloar led the charge for Beveridge's side.
Veteran midfielder Tom Liberatore was limited throughout the contest and wouldn't see out the game after suffering a cut on his head from an accidental Conor Nash boot.
The incident, coupled with an earlier collision with Hawk Karl Amon, led to further concerns for Liberatore's health following his recent fall against Essendon last month.
The club confirmed that Liberatore will miss this week's clash with Richmond after suffering a knock to the head on Sunday, with Beveridge admitting they'll take a "conservative approach".
"It's something I can't really comment on," Beveridge said.ย
"I saw him stumble in the middle of the ground and that's concerning.ย
"For it to happen again this afternoon when it was only a couple of weeks ago the same thing happened, it's a bigger concern than just a one-game issue.
"We'll take a conservative approach, we'll look after him."
In an injury report provided by the Bulldogs, Liberatore has been ruled out indefinitely "as the club works through a thorough process before a return-to-play plan is determined".
The Bulldogs will regain forward Rhylee West for Saturday's clash with Richmond at the MCG.
A third successive defeat could see the Bulldogs slide four places on the ladder into 15th.
