THE PROSPECT of containing Sydney Swans superstar Lance Franklin in Friday night's Grand Final rematch sits comfortably with premiership Bulldog Fletcher Roberts.

The 23-year-old's contentment comes from a belief in his own ability and, more importantly, the knowledge that the Western Bulldogs' renowned team defence will be there to help.

Robert's knows there will be times when he'll be one out with the six-time All Australian, but past skirmishes with Franklin have the key defender excited by the daunting task.

With Dale Morris (injured) and Joel Hamling (traded to Fremantle) missing from the Dogs' Grand Final backline, Roberts can expect to spend more time than the 10 minutes he stood Franklin in the club's memorable flag win.

Match preview: Western Bulldogs v Sydney Swans

"I'm looking forward to the challenge," Roberts told AFL.com.au.

"I've played on him on and off (in the past). In a couple of games I've had duels with him.

"It's less one-on-one these days, and that's a good thing against such a great player."

The communal approach to defending implemented by Luke Beveridge, will see Roberts, fellow key defender Marcus Adams, and even the 186cm Easton Wood, work together to curtail the influence of Franklin and fellow tall targets Kurt Tippett and Sam Reid.

"I think we support each other really well and come off our man and help each other in the air," Roberts said.

"It's the way we play as a team defence these days, and we're always looking to help each other."

2017 marks Roberts' sixth season at Whitten Oval, and after 38 games he's still yet to cement himself in the Bulldogs' best line-up.

That uncertainty around where he fits in Luke Beveridge's plans was no more evident than in last year's finals, when the Sandringham Dragon's product was dropped for the elimination final against West Coast after playing 16 home and away matches in 2016.

While the demotion hit him hard, a close-knit playing group didn't give up on Roberts, and he'll carry that belief into his battle with Franklin.

"I was a little bit emotional throughout that (elimination final) week, and a lot of the senior boys like Bobby Murphy and Matt Boyd took me aside and had a good chat with me," he said.

"They said keep fighting hard, and I went back to the VFL knowing they had a lot of belief in me and I was able to get back in (for the preliminary final) a few weeks later."

"Hopefully I can continue to perform and make the position mine.”