WESTERN Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade has warned his side that a loss on Friday night would mean the 2008 season had been wasted, but says that the Doggies run-and-gun style of football is September-friendly.

The Dogs were roaring through 2008 with just one loss and a draw in the first 15 rounds, but have only won two matches since then, a very similar scenario to last season's meltdown.

The Dogs got thumped by the Hawks in the first week of the finals, and have to overcome finals veterans Sydney in order to avoid being the third top four team to bow out in straight sets since the current finals system began in 2000.

"We've won 15 home-and-away games and played some good footy, but I think to go out in straight sets makes it a hollow season," Eade said.

"So we certainly need to make a stand and would like to win to take a step forward."

But Eade denied that his side's style of footy wasn't built for September.

"Finals footy? Our style of footy's not that much different to other people. Maybe our structure, maybe we'd love to have a tall forward.

"Our first 14 weeks, we've been acknowledged that we we're winning contested ball, so we've just lost that at the moment.

"So I don't see where the game-plan's that much different – we want to kick the ball, we want to handball and we want to run, and most teams want to do that.

"Where we made advances was the fact we were able to play a bit more powerful type of game.

"So the game-plan hasn't changed, it's just our execution of it, which is obviously the contested ball.

"So that's what stands up, your ability to put your body on the line, and work hard in tight – we thought we'd gone a long way to address that, but we need to execute that in finals."