WILL Minson is no certainty to retain his spot in the Western Bulldogs' side to play Richmond on Saturday night.

The 31-year-old was serviceable in his first senior game of the season in the thrilling win over the Sydney Swans, but coach Luke Beveridge stopped short of guaranteeing him a game against the Tigers.

"We loved his contest in the ruck and he's continuing to explore his forward play," Beveridge said.

"Will will definitely be considered for selection again to maintain his spot because we really liked his game in the ruck."

Minson has been unable to meet Beveridge's mantra of flexibility over the past 18 months, but after collecting 24 hit-outs against the Swans, the 190-game veteran snuck forward to kick a crucial goal in the Dogs' stirring four-point win.

With Jordan Roughead starting to feel more at home in the ruck after stints in attack and defence, Minson could be heading back to the VFL if Bulldogs lift Tom Boyd's club-imposed suspension.

The coach is a big fan of the 20-year-old's ability to play in the ruck and it will be interesting to see whether the match committee feels the high-priced recruit has served his penance for a drunken altercation with teammate Zaine Cordy. 

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"We felt (Will) and 'Roughy' had a real impact in the ruck," Beveridge said.

"Jordan is becoming one of the better contested marks in the League and he really put his footprint on that game at the weekend."

Another decision facing Beveridge is who comes in to replace Marcus Adams after the first-year sensation sustained a foot sprain on the weekend.

Fletcher Roberts looms as the player most likely after responding well in the VFL following his omission from the trip to Sydney.

Fellow key defenders Joel Hamling and Kieran Collins will also be considered, as will Cordy if his suspension is lifted.

"The great thing is Fletcher went back and played an outstanding game at VFL level and processed his disappointment," Beveridge said.

"Fletcher is a big chance to come back in and we've got some other options there as well, which is encouraging for us."

And with the round 13 thrashing at the hands of Geelong still stinging, Beveridge is hoping that painful experience won't see a drop off in intensity against the lowly Tigers.

The Dogs have a strong recent record against the Tigers, winning 10 of the teams' last 14 encounters.

"There's going to be a spike in (Richmond's) performance at some point and we've got to guard against that and make sure that come back to the trunk of what we do really, really well right from the start to the finish," he said. 

"We were stung a couple of weeks ago by the Cats and it's pretty fresh in the memory banks."