Luke Beveridge won't argue the facts around his Western Bulldogs being one of the form sides of the AFL as they prepare for a high-stakes clash with Melbourne.
But the experienced coach is also acutely aware of the need to keep his players' feet on the ground after a stunning surge into the top eight.
The Bulldogs have lost just once in the past two months and are chasing a fourth consecutive win when they host the Demons at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
"There's a bit less than one-fifth of the season left and in the context of things there's still a lot there, and anything could happen," Dogs coach Beveridge said.
"We've seen that from week to week with nearly every team in the competition, including us, so we're wary of the pitfalls.
"You just keep focusing on the non-negotiables and the fundamental aspects of your game that are going to hold you in good stead.
"It's the only way to approach it."
The Bulldogs have named an unchanged line-up, with James O'Donnell unable to squeeze his way into the back-line on return from concussion.
It was a problem area in recent months because of injuries, but the Bulldogs have improvised and now have a group of in-form key defenders at their disposal.
Liam Jones leads the defence alongside remodelled tall Rory Lobb and inexperienced backman Buku Khamis, with Beveridge backing in the trio again in the meeting with Melbourne.
"Our key backs are in really good form and it was probably an untimely miss of a couple of weeks for James," Beveridge said.
"We've got Liam and Rory's gone back there and Buku's playing well."
The Bulldogs have struggled against Melbourne in recent times, losing four of the past five meetings in a run that started with the 2021 grand final.
"Our track record against the Demons, who have been a formidable side over the last few years, hasn't been on the positive side of the ledger," Beveridge said.
"They got us earlier in the year in round one. We thought we prepared well and we had a really down day and they showed us what they're capable of.
"So it's a huge challenge for us."
The Bulldogs (11-8) occupy eighth position on a congested ladder, one win and a significant amount of percentage clear of Melbourne (10-9), who sit 11th.
The Demons have lost Caleb Windsor to an ankle injury and left out both Jack Billings and Bailey Laurie.
Tom Sparrow, Koltyn Tholstrup and Blake Howes return for Simon Goodwin's side.
