WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge isn't surprised by how quickly the club has taken to his new game plan, and is excited by the fact the Dogs are still in 'experimental mode' after back-to-back wins to open the season.
Following last week's tight win over West Coast, the Bulldogs were too strong for Richmond at the MCG on Saturday, winning by 19 points.
Perhaps most impressively, the Bulldogs were challenged at several times by the Tigers but held firm to sit 2-0 for the first time since 2009.
Beveridge said the club is still trying to work out where it sits against other clubs in the competition, but the early signs have been promising.
"It's like [we're] in experimental mode. We're on this journey where there's so much change; personnel, strategy, and different systems that are a bit chalk and cheese compared to last year," he said.
"So every time that you get a good result it increases the buy-in, the belief, and then you can just grow it. There's a lot to be gained out of winning two in a row."
The Dogs' exciting, free flowing and attractive brand of football has been praised under Beveridge, but he was equally as pleased about their competitive attitude against the Tigers. Despite their dominance throughout the day, the Dogs also led the tackle count (73 to the Tigers' 50) in what he says was an important part of hanging in there when the Tigers – like the Eagles last week – made their run.
"I'm not surprised that we've won. I have a lot of belief in our personnel. I just think that our younger players and more experienced players have a terrific blend, and there's a power there that we need to flesh out," he said.
"We're trying to do that, so it's not really surprising us. Both games have been relatively tight, so holding your nerve and being able to endure at the end of the game is crucial.
"These close ones early in the year give you that little bit of momentum."
The club's biggest test will come next Sunday, when it faces Hawthorn in Tasmania. Beveridge isn't sure if his recent time at the Hawks as an assistant coach will help his side in preparation for the clash, but noted that Hawthorn has made some tweaks after last year.
He has noticed the support around the young Dogs through the pre-season and early part of the year, but knows shedding the 'favourite second team' tag will come with a rise up the ladder.
"The public want to see the underdog have a victory, but it also means you're not in the space that you want to be. And once you start climbing and start to challenge in the back end of the year [that's when] you lose that stigma," he said.
"That's where we want to go. We don't want to be everyone's 'second best side' because we're a threat to their first-best side, and we're not there yet."
