WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has lauded young star Marcus Bontempelli, admitting he continues to be "blown away" by the midfielder's stunning form. 

Bontempelli was again superb on Friday night for the Dogs in their three-point win over Collingwood, gathering 26 disposals and kicking two goals to steer his side to the vital victory.

But the numbers only tell part of Bontempelli's influence on the result, with the third-season midfielder lifting after half-time as the Bulldogs began to slip to a determined Pies unit.

Full match details and stats

Working past a tag by Collingwood midfielder Levi Greenwood, Bontempelli gathered 12 disposals in the crucial third quarter.

Asked if he was still surprised by the feats of his young star, Beveridge said Bontempelli had already elevated himself into brilliant company despite his inexperience.

"'Blown away' is not a bad description. I often think about the very best midfielders in the competition who are the real match-winners, and in a very short space of time he's become one at the tender age of 20. It's a real feather in his cap," Beveridge said after the win.

"He had a tag in Greenwood and he had to battle through that. He's working with all of us to do things for the team in that situation. But how can you not admire the way he's going about it?

"He's had an enormous year and when you think of the changes in our midfield in recent times, for a 20-year-old to be leading the way it's quite sensational really."

Beveridge said the 57-gamer didn't "need a rev" at half-time despite only gathering nine disposals to the main break and having little say on the contest.

And he added the 192cm game-changer will continue to split time at the coalface in the midfield as well as closer to goal as the Bulldogs toy with a forward line struck by injuries.

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"We don't keep him in [the midfield] all the time because he is a big threat forward for us too. We need to continue to use him in that dual capacity. You talk about high standards and he sets them as high as anyone," he said.

"His high watermark that he's reached in recent times – he's continuing to want the tide to come in a little bit higher. I thought tonight he got close to some of his best stuff again."

Beveridge also praised the tagging role of Dogs veteran Liam Picken, who was shifted onto Steele Sidebottom after half-time and managed to shut him out of the contest.

The coach said the victory showed plenty of "resilience and perseverance", but couldn't measure how close the Dogs are to their best form.

"I imagine it was a pretty good spectacle for the viewers. My heart was jumping out of the chest for most of the night but I thought Collingwood threw the kitchen sink at us and it was an enormous effort in the end to arrest it and hang in there," Beveridge said.

"If it goes for another few minutes who knows who gets the result, but it's a really important win again and somehow we grafted it out and walk away pretty pleased."

Despite the win, the Dogs have some concerns heading into the finals, with forward star Jake Stringer's form lapse continuing. The 2015 All Australian managed just four kicks and one goal in the win over the Pies, leaving him with just four majors from the last four games he has played.

Magpies defender Jeremy Howe did a strong job on shutting down Stringer's say on the game, and Beveridge conceded the brilliant forward was not at his best.

WATCH Luke Beveridge's full media conference

"We know what his capacity and capabilities are and there's always a promise of that week-to-week. I thought there were some early signs – he didn't have a lot of the ball, but he was moving OK," he said.

"We just need to continue to support him and get him back to his very best.

"Week-to-week there's a focus on him and he gets some attention, so he just needs to continue to learn to deal with that and I need to continue to coach him and help him be ready for the next opponent. He's down on his best, no doubt."