Luke Beveridge has revealed that his side will likely remain unchanged despite a five-day turnaround.
The Western Bulldogs - who will be known as Footscray this week, paying homage to the 70th anniversary of its first premiership - are fresh off a demolition of ladder leaders Sydney on Sunday, taking down the premiership favourites by 39 points.
Heading into the SCG clash, Beveridge opted to manage Bulldogs trio Ryley Sanders, Jack Macrae and Joel Freijah in anticipation of the shorter changeover from Round 20 to 21, while key defender James O'Donnell has made himself available after overcoming a hamstring issue.
However, the 2016 premiership coach said he's unlikely to change a winning combination, one that saw wins against Geelong and Carlton in the fortnight prior.
Beveridge all but confirmed that the quartet will play VFL this weekend, despite the teams to be revealed at 6:20 pm (AEST) tonight for Friday's game.
"I think we're pretty right (on the injury front)," Beveridge said.
"You need to get a bit lucky, everyone's got to face up to the fact that there are fives (day breaks) and occasionally you get the longer ones. Sometimes the longer ones are even more difficult.
"But I think we're pretty healthy. We don't anticipate the team's going to change much at all, so that's pretty encouraging.
"There was an eye to the future with the short turnaround that keeping some boys fresh...But the team is always picked on the best 23 that week... they're likely to play for the state league team."
As a squeeze sets itself on the Bulldogs due to its impressive form, so do external expectations and what the club can achieve in 2024.
Likened to its famous run of 2016, Beveridge's men appear to be peaking at the right time of the year, with talks of a top-four finish a real possibility, a feat yet to be achieved in his tenure.
However, heading into the final month of the home and away season, the Dogs will focus on the week-to-week, not letting their imaginations run wild as plenty of twists and turns are set to occur.
"I suppose the way we're approaching it is there's still a bit left," Beveridge said.
"A bit less than a fifth of the season left but in the context of things there's a lot there and anything can happen.
"Now we've seen from week to week, including us, that we're weary of the pitfalls and you just keep focussing on the non-negotiables and the fundamental aspects of your game that will hold you in good stead.
"It's the only way to approach it."
Bulldogs midfielder Adam Treloar will celebrate his 250th AFL game against Melbourne, playing 79 (Giants) and 94 (Collingwood) games elsewhere before moving to the Whitten Oval ahead of the 2021 season.
