WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge admits he was surprised by Richmond's call to rest premiership heroes Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt for their round four clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers have "managed" three-time premiership captain Cotchin and veteran forward Riewoldt, the fourth most-prolific goalkicker in the club's history, for Saturday's contest.
Despite Richmond coach Damien Hardwick stressing the Tigers would rest some of their veterans this year, there was a sense of shock when Cotchin and Riewoldt were left out of the match against another finals contender.
Beveridge said he had also been planning for dynamic forward Maurice Rioli jnr, who was omitted, to play.
"It was a bit of a surprise, you plan for those guys (Cotchin and Riewoldt) playing, even Rioli," Beveridge said on Friday.
"Part of (Friday) morning was just spent processing and digesting the changes and what that means for us.
"Then we just take care of our roles and our application. It doesn't change a lot for us.
"We've been playing our three key defenders and the boys (Alex Keath, Liam Jones and Josh Bruce) were terrific last week.
"It just means that one of them here and there will need to play on a small-to-medium forward (instead of Riewoldt) which is fine. Our keys are pretty agile."
After disappointing losses against Melbourne and St Kilda to open the season, the Bulldogs bounced back with a gusty victory over Brisbane last week.
Beveridge is hopeful the win, highlighted by Jamarra Ugle-Hagan's instantly iconic stand in the face of vile racist attacks, will help kickstart the Bulldogs' campaign.
"It's only one game, but we did a lot of things right," he said.
"We left some opportunities out there, as did the Lions.
"But we know that the adjustments that we made and the productivity probably in the defensive phase, that's just going to lead to opportunities to hit the scoreboard as the weeks roll on."
The Bulldogs have made just one change, with Riley Garcia (groin) dropping out.
Their sub will be either Buku Khamis, Jordon Sweet, Lachlan McNeil or Mitch Hannan.
Richmond enters the round four match with a 1-1-1 record after losing to Collingwood by 14 points last Friday night.
The Bulldogs have played North Melbourne on Good Friday during recent Easter weekends, but the AFL replaced them in the marquee match with Carlton.
"It has been a game that we've coveted and looked forward to, the Good Friday game, with the Royal Children's Hospital appeal and what we've been able to do with North Melbourne," Beveridge said.
