WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has acknowledged the considerable challenge of lifting his players' spirits after a "devastating" and "traumatic" night in which the Dogs lost two more players to season-ending injuries and, almost secondarily, their position in the top four. 

Adding to the disappointment of an upset 15-point loss to a surging St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, the Bulldogs were shattered by serious injuries to midfielder Mitch Wallis (who broke both bones in his lower left leg) and key forward Jack Redpath (who ruptured the ACL in his left knee).

Veteran defender Dale Morris also sat out the entire second half as a precaution after experiencing a minor issue with his left hamstring.

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A defiant Beveridge believes his team is still capable of challenging for the premiership, however, the more pressing concern was overcoming the emotional and personnel challenge presented by the injuries – on a six-day break against a formidable Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Friday night.

As a contingency for Morris, the Bulldogs have already withdrawn key defender Joel Hamling from Footscray's VFL team for Sunday, and Beveridge said game time of certain other candidates would be closely monitored.

The Dogs coach said the result had almost paled into insignificance compared to the casualties.

"It is a devastating night for many reasons … There's a lot of emotion in that room down there," the he told reporters post-match.

"It's going to be a challenge (to lift the players' emotions). We just had a discussion around that and what the right steps are.

"We've got a Friday nighter against the Cats so we haven't got a lot of time to process it.

WATCH: Luke Beveridge's full post-match press conference

"I don't think the players will be ready tomorrow or Monday. I think by the end of Tuesday, when we walk out of the building at the club, we've got to be ready to move on and meet the challenges ahead.

"We've put too much work in to let it fall by the wayside.

"It's (our) challenge to pick them up and look on the bright side and be supreme optimists, and know and believe that there's still a bit left in our year and we can still be there at the end and be a challenger.

"As long as we believe that, we'll be OK.

"It's a traumatic night and it'll test us."

The Dogs have already shown great resilience this year to absorb the loss of key players such as skipper Bob Murphy (knee) and Jason Johannisen (hamstring), and Beveridge believes they can do it again.

"I've lauded our players for their ability and scope to cope with that, and bend and sway and fulfill different roles," he said.

Redpath's case was an unusual one. He left the field for treatment early in the third quarter before returning about 20 minutes later, only to go down again early in the last term.

Beveridge insisted the initial injury was from a "jarring incident' and that medical tests showed the knee was stable at the time.

Redpath tore the ACL in his previously good left knee, having already undergone reconstructions on his right knee.