WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge hasn't ruled out star Marcus Bontempelli making an earlier-than-expected return after having his appendix removed.
Bontempelli underwent emergency surgery and missed the Dogs' clash with Melbourne – a 50-point loss in what would have been his 100th AFL game – in Saturday's twilight fixture at the MCG.
The Bulldogs' vice-captain, who had been leading the club in the absence of injured skipper Easton Wood, had been expected to miss two to three games, but Beveridge hinted he could be available sooner.
DEMONS TO THE MAX Full match coverage and stats
"He's pretty good. He'll probably miss another week, though, I'd say and then we'll see after that," Beveridge told reporters after the defeat to the Demons.
"Hopefully he might be available after the West Coast game.
"He's fine now. He's just in recovery mode. He shouldn't miss too much of the program from here on in. It's just whether he's capable after the keyhole cuts that they do.
"He may miss another one. We'll see."
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The Bulldogs need all the leadership and star power they can muster after spoiling yet another promising first half with a poor third quarter, with their four-point lead early in the third term becoming a 38-point deficit in the space of 13 minutes as Melbourne rattled on seven successive goals.
The loss consigns the Bulldogs to becoming the first club in 20 years to win a premiership but miss the finals for the next two years' running.
Beveridge revealed the players had "a good chat" among themselves post-match as they tried to "look for solutions".
WATCH Luke Beveridge's full post-match media conference
"That's seven or eight games where we've been in it at half-time and then we've been virtually blown away in the second half, so we discussed how we remedy that," he said.
"It's important that we lay some foundations right now, regardless of the change sweeping through the team."
The Dogs coach highlighted that his team won the inside 50 count 57-52 and created enough forward-half turnovers to challenge the Demons.
However, he lamented that in another disastrous third term they had been well beaten in centre bounces and in the midfield in general and had been unable to curtail Melbourne's rebound run.
"The way we anticipated turnover after we went forward with the ball, where we left ourselves unable to defend, was disappointing and concerning," Beveridge said.
"We know what it is. Fixing it seems easy but there's a physical and a mental aspect which revolves around concentration (and) willingness to stay out of your comfort zone, and these areas are the things we need to improve."
Despite the gloom, Beveridge is eyeing an opportunity for rapid growth.
"(When) a team puts you on the back foot, sometimes the individual can empower themselves and force it upon themselves to influence the rest, and ultimately that becomes contagious," he said.
"We're aiming to get there pretty quickly again so we become a team that's on the rise.
"(This) was an example of where we haven't been able to steady the ship and we haven't had enough who've been able to play a consistent four quarters.
"That's something that's burning in everyone's belly…
"The complexion of the team shouldn't matter."
