Eade lauds 'eight-point' victory

WESTERN Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade believes his side won a "classic eight point game" on Sunday when it shelved a two-match losing streak to beat the Sydney Swans in Canberra.

Eade said the 16-point win over the Swans came as a result of his players wanting to win the ball more than they had in the past fortnight.

Ultimately, the Dogs coach said the win came after solid preparation for the big clash with a fellow top four side, and it provided the only acceptable result.

''We have been planning for this game for a few weeks," he said, at Manuka Oval.

"Both the previous two weeks we played some good footy, but this was the one we needed to win to give us that break from fourth.

"It was the classic eight point game for us today.

''We have been building for that. That was surprising going back to the start how we started but to be able to fight back was pleasing."

Ladder-wise, the result gives the Dogs breathing space between them and sides situated fourth and below.

Eade is planning on using that latitude in the final four rounds to field more players, and lighten the load on sore senior members.

"[The win] gives us four games clear of fourth with four games left," he said.

"There are a couple more blokes maybe carrying little things so we are able to get games into players that might be able to help us in September, as well to refresh the stocks a bit.

''We will need to get games into Tim Callan, Callan Ward, maybe Peter Street, Shaun Higgins, Scott West will hopefully be back about round 20 – 21.

''[But] we don't want to flirt with our form, we want good form going into September, and we have four tough games."

Eade said the Bulldogs' start on Sunday was disappointing, given they allowed the Swans to pile on four goals in the first six minutes before even entering their own attacking 50m arc.

''It looked like we got stage fright," he said.

''We weren't prepared to take the game on. The players have got to take the credit for [recovering]; they were the ones able to address that and they worked their way through it."

He also said unlucky youngster Tom Williams would have scans on a thigh injured in the VFL on Saturday, but was expecting the defender to miss at least two or three weeks.

The latest setback for the talented young gun might not see him play senior football until the final round, and has occurred on the other leg to the one he hurt earlier in the year.