WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has praised superstar midfielder Marcus Bontempelli for setting the tone early in the Dogs' rousing interstate win over Port Adelaide on Saturday night.

In difficult wet conditions, Bontempelli looked a class above and handled the ball with ease, laying the foundation for the Dogs' upset 25-point victory. 

Bontempelli had 11 contested possessions, six clearances and four inside 50s in the first quarter before the Power applied a hard tag, but he still finished with 27 disposals and 10 tackles. 

The Bulldogs sing the song with gusto. Picture: AFL Photos

Beveridge said the midfielder set the tone for the Dogs early when the game was there to be won. 

"He got us out of the block and set the example in foreign territory," Beveridge said. 

"He handled the ball cleanly and gave us the upper hand and it was a huge first quarter from him. 

"Obviously they sat on him even harder after that, but he kept working extremely hard." 

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Saturday's result was the Bulldogs' first win at Adelaide Oval since their premiership year in 2016 and leaves them only a game outside the top eight with a 6-8 record.

Beveridge said finals was very far from his mind but admitted the win would give his side belief it could match it with the competition's best. 

"We feel like we're not far away. It is an important night for us because we haven't won interstate in a while," he said.

"The boys will get a lot of belief out of it."

WATCH Bont puts on a masterclass in tough conditions

On the back of his side's improved recent form, Beveridge expressed surprise at Nathan Buckley's comments last week that the Pies' loss to the Dogs was the worst they had played "for a long time". 

When asked if he had directly used Buckley's comments as a way to motivate the team he said no, but he questioned if some players may have taken the words to heart. 

"I think with the playing group evolving again and trying to re-establish where we are as a team, sometimes (those comments) can cut you a little bit in that the opposition might think so little of you that they'd say something like that," Beveridge said.

"So whether or not the players felt that way I'm not sure, but I obviously didn't give any weight to (Buckley's comments) at all because it just wasn't true."

WATCH Luke Beveridge's full post-match media conference

Veteran defender Dale Morris emerged unscathed from his return from a serious knee injury in the VFL on Saturday, but Beveridge said he was still some weeks away from AFL action. 

"It took him a few weeks last time, when he came back from the other leg (injury), so it will definitely take him another one or two before we consider him, I'd say," Beveridge said.