Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge hopes Rory Lobb will soon be rewarded with some forward line "frills" after making a low-key start at his new club.
Lobb will be the centre of attention on Friday night when he returns to his former stomping ground for a crunch AFL clash against Fremantle at Optus Stadium.
The 30-year-old fired a parting shot at Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir last year during his tense trade to the Bulldogs, saying he felt "disjointed" from the Dockers' coaching staff.
Longmuir was left surprised by Lobb's remarks, and it's set the stage for a spicy reunion on Friday night.
Lobb has endured an underwhelming start at the Bulldogs, booting just three goals across his first four appearances.
But Beveridge has valued other parts of Lobb's game.
"He's had some good impact for us in recent times, but there's still a lot of growth in him," Beveridge said.
"He's helping others play well with his work ethic and the amount of game time he can play.
"As a forward, all those frilly bits and sexy bits around scoring and direct score assists - they're the ones the forwards covet more than anything.
"But as long as he gets the other things at the forefront of his mind ... I'm sure those scoring opportunities will come for him.
"We want to use the ball a bit better and we want to find our forwards in space, and hopefully he gets on the end of a few."
Both the Bulldogs and Fremantle enter the match precariously placed with 2-3 records.
But Beveridge said it's too early to view it as a must-win match.
"It's definitely not a fork in the road at round six," Beveridge said.
"Neither team wants to go 2-4. To come out of this 3-3 with a bit of momentum going into round seven is what you're after.
"But there will be no panic stations for either club I wouldn't have thought if we don't win the day."
The ruck battle is set to be a defining feature of Friday's match, with in-form big man Tim English and Lobb to go up against Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson.
Fremantle will be hoping for another breakout display from forward Jye Amiss, who took four contested marks and booted three goals in last week's win over Gold Coast.
"I loved his contested work last week. He's getting bigger and stronger in the gym," Longmuir said.
"We saw him be able to hold his ground and even push some more experienced defenders out of the way last week.
"We know when he gets opportunities in front of goals, he's going to be pretty reliable."
