Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has declared his team's intent to "rock the boat" when they confront premiership favourites Fremantle in a blockbuster clash in Perth next Friday night.
The Bulldogs (12-7) made it three wins on the trot with a 57-point thumping of Richmond at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
The 15.15 (105) to 7.6 (48) win all but secured the Bulldogs a spot in the AFL's new wildcard round at a minimum.
And if things go well for the Bulldogs over the remaining four rounds of the season, they will secure a top-six berth and a home final.
The Bulldogs' biggest test will be on Friday night against a red-hot Fremantle outfit that have made a habit of blowing teams out of the water this season.
Beveridge wants his team to take a "no inhibitions" attitude into the clash, which is set to attract a sellout crowd.
"We go over there, take a real pot shot at the stumps and do our best to bring our highest-end game against the the top side," Beveridge said.
"We had a good battle with them out here last time we played, and they got us in the end. So we'll go over there with a determination to play our best and hopefully rock the boat a bit.
"But they've been really impressive ... so we know we'll have our work cut out."
Ed Richards didn't give up on this one 👏#AFLDogsTigers pic.twitter.com/oP7LDZpUcS
— AFL (@AFL) July 25, 2026
Fremantle (17-2) sit three wins clear on top of the table and are almost certain to land just the second minor premiership in the club's history.
The Dockers demolished cross-town rivals West Coast by 70 points on Friday night, and will be boosted by the returns of Brennan Cox (knee) and Hayden Young (illness).
Fremantle have beaten the Bulldogs in the past three meetings between the two sides, but they have all been close affairs, with the Dockers prevailing by 16 points, 15 points and 12 points.
In round eight this year, the Bulldogs led by 21 points early in the third quarter and had a chance to snatch victory in the dying minutes before Fremantle held on for the thrilling 17.12 (114) to 15.12 (102) win.
Ed Richards and Marcus Bontempelli loom as the two major threats to Fremantle after the duo tore Richmond to shreds.
Richards was best afield with 32 disposals, six clearances, two goals, 11 inside 50s, 11 score involvements and 662m gained, while Bontempelli finished with 29 disposals, three clearances, 556m gained and two goals.
After taking on Fremantle, the Bulldogs face fellow finals contenders North Melbourne, Carlton and Melbourne.
Fremantle also face a challenging run home with games against Melbourne, Adelaide and Carlton.
