WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge made a promise with Stewart Crameri that he be selected in round one despite dealing with the turmoil of the ASADA investigation and a far from ideal pre-season preparation.

Crameri was forced to sit out the opening two games of the NAB Challenge, alongside 34 of his past Essendon teammates, as they served their provisional suspensions pertaining to the supplements saga of 2012.

After returning for the opening round against West Coast, Crameri kicked just seven goals in eight games and felt well out of sorts.

WATCH: Seven-goal Crameri crushes old club

"The guys had three or four games under their belts and I'd come in and had an operation right before the season started. It was a big load straight away and I just didn't recover," Crameri told AFL.com.au on Sunday.

"I'd played nine games straight and I'd hurt my hip as well. My body wasn't in the greatest shape."

Crameri was far from out of sorts on Sunday as he bagged a career-high seven goals in the Bulldogs' 87-point drubbing of his former side.

It was the high-point in what has been a challenging season for the mobile-forward, after he was forced to regain his place in the side after ankle and adductor issues flared up during the mid-point of the season.

Beveridge said Crameri's resilience had shone through after a difficult start to the year.

"I spoke to him early on and pretty much guaranteed him a spot," Beveridge said on Sunday.

"It didn't really work out for him early, and for us and to his credit, he went back to VFL level and it took him a few weeks to be selected, and we're seeing the fruits of him putting his head down and working hard right now.

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"It would be nice to think he's got a fair bit more in him and we think he does toward the back end of the year."

To kick seven majors against his old side made the moment even sweeter, as Beveridge attested to.

"Having been there before, he would have lots of people from Essendon who would've been right in his corner," Beveridge said.

"Once you leave that's all gone. There's no soft spots for him and it's great for him to come and do that this afternoon."

It was not only Crameri who ran riot against the Bombers, with Jake Stringer and Tory Dickson also kicking four goals each as the Bulldogs' trio of mid-sized forwards continue to provide headaches for opposition sides.

Crameri said it was satisfying to know that his hard-work was starting to pay off after nothing seemed to be working for him early on in the season.

"It's the majority of training, in the last month in particular, and it all seems to be coming together. It's been good and hopefully I can keep it going towards the end of the year," he said.