The Western Bulldogs say Rory Lobb is well prepared for whatever his former Fremantle teammates throw at him in their second meeting since the versatile tall's messy exit.
Led by captain Alex Pearce, the Dockers attempted to physically intimidate Lobb when he faced his old side for the first time in Perth in round six.
It followed a drawn-out trade saga that eventually ended in the 30-year-old being granted his request to move to a third AFL club last October.
But the Dockers' move back-fired as Lobb kicked a team-lifting second-quarter goal and finished all smiles after the Bulldogs' commanding 49-point win.
Dogs forward Cody Weightman revealed the possibility of another Fremantle attack on Lobb has been a talking point at Whitten Oval ahead of Saturday's clash at Marvel Stadium.
"I don't think it really worked last time," Weightman told reporters on Wednesday.
"I stayed out of it but we'll see what happens there.
"I've had a joke around with him (Lobb) and he's ready for it if it comes, but second time around I don't know if it's a thing anymore."
Fremantle have denied their round-six attack on Lobb was premeditated, with coach Justin Longmuir insisting his side isn't focused on ruffling the 153-game tall's feathers.
"There wasn't any discussion last time," Longmuir told reporters on Wednesday.
"Like I said after the last game, it was isolated instances - some where he contributed to it. We'll treat him as one of 23 players."
The Bulldogs snapped a three-match losing streak with a scrappy win over North Melbourne before their bye, giving them an 8-6 record in seventh spot.
They face just two current top-eight sides in the run home, starting with 11th-placed Fremantle (7-7).
"We're excited by it, looking forward to the draw," Weightman said.
"We're coming up against some quality teams and if we want to threaten in September we need to beat those teams.
"The next 10 or so weeks will set us up in a good position to challenge and we don't want to just play finals ... we want to try and go all the way."
