HE HAS already beaten enough opponents to be installed as this year's Brownlow Medal favourite, while also welcoming a new son into the world in the past few days.

But Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade reckons midfielder Adam Cooney has even bigger tests ahead of him in the next two weeks, starting with a battle with Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley at Subiaco on Sunday.

Averaging nearly 26 possessions a game, four higher than last season, Cooney leads the Dogs in contested possessions and clearances, while adding 11 goals to the Bulldogs' most potent attack in the country.

But with increased influence comes more attention, with Eade anticipating Crowley and North Melbourne's Brady Rawlings testing his 22-year-old star to the limit this week and next.

"His improved consistency is just due to the fact he has had a good pre-season, so he has got that under his belt as well as a little bit more maturity," Eade said on Perth radio this week.

"He is a bit bigger and stronger, but it will be a big test for him on the weekend.

"Obviously Crowley will take him and probably the week after Rawlings will get him, so I think in the next two weeks he will get some of the best tags in the competition, so it will be a big test for him."

With the best start to an AFL/VFL season since 1946, the Western Bulldogs appear to be one of the main rivals to the Geelong/Hawthorn axis - although Eade says his focus is still the top eight first.

"We want to get enough wins to make the eight, then we can start reassessing our goals," Eade said.

"I don't think there is any sense us starting to think of any higher honours than that because you can get ahead of yourself in this competition and it can bring you back to earth with a big thud."

And that is exactly what has happened to Fremantle this year, with lofty expectations - mostly from pundits, but echoed by club president Rick Hart - brought crashing down by a 1-6 start.

Assistant coach Chris Scott said he believes the Dockers list has been overrated by many observers.

"It is interesting when so-called experts before the season had high expectations of our football team, but very early on they are very critical and question our depth," Scott said.

"I would go so far to say that too many people outside the club overrate where this playing list is at the moment.

"Everyone sees that there are guys that can become very good players, but unfortunately for us they are not there yet and we need to get them there as quickly as possible."

Fremantle would have liked the quickest possible chance to erase the nightmare loss to Melbourne on their last outing, but the Dream Team hiatus has meant coach Mark Harvey enduring two week's of inquisition on giving up a 51-point lead to the winless Demons.

And Eade said the unbeaten Bulldogs were well aware of the reaction they might run into.

"The media they have copped over the last couple of weeks, we know they are going to be pretty fierce," Eade said.