Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has faith his out-of-form team will immediately bounce back from what he concedes was the worst quarter of football in his time at the AFL club.
The Bulldogs take on St Kilda on Friday night in a contest that is not far off being a virtual elimination final for both sides.
Beveridge was dealt a triple blow ahead of the match when star forward Aaron Naughton, Josh Schache and Lachie Hunter were all forced to enter the AFL's health and safety protocols.
Gun midfielder Bailey Smith returns from suspension to give the Bulldogs much-needed grunt in the engine room, while forward Josh Bruce is back after recovering from a knee reconstruction.
St Kilda lost Seb Ross and Marcus Windhager to the health and safety protocols.
Defeat to the Saints would leave Beveridge's outfit two wins plus percentage outside the top eight with just five rounds to play.
The cut-throat situation comes after consecutive defeats to Brisbane and Sydney meant the Dogs have slipped to 10th.
They conceded the opening five goals to the Swans last week in just 15 minutes, trailing 7.8 to 2.1 at quarter time in a horror show at the SCG.
"The first quarter, you'd like to think it was an anomaly, I think it was probably the worst quarter of football that we've experienced in my time here," Beveridge said.
"You've got to give credit to the Swans, they're a significant variable in to why it happened.
"The way they played, their endeavour and their commitment was outstanding and ours didn't come up to speed."
Beveridge, in his eighth year as Bulldogs coach, said his players are coping well internally with ever-present pressure, which has mounted during a slide down the ladder after last year's grand final appearance.
But they are still adjusting to operating without the likes of injured pair Taylor Duryea and Caleb Daniel, both out because of knee injuries.
"We're making some adjustments with some personnel here and there to help us play our brand," Beveridge said.
"I believe that can happen straight away.
"There shouldn't be too many teething problems but we just didn't give ourselves a chance with it last week.
"We'll explore it again on Friday night against the Saints."
Like their opponents, St Kilda will be looking to atone for a poor showing in their most recent outing.
The Saints led Fremantle by eight points at halftime but managed just three goals in the second half and were outscored 71-22.
Another loss would likely leave the Saints one win and percentage outside the top eight, with eighth-placed Richmond heavily favoured to beat North Melbourne on Saturday.
