Adelaide can expect a fiery Western Bulldogs outfit when the Crows confront the Dogs at Etihad Stadium this Sunday.
The Bulldogs fell to Carlton in Round Five by 28 points in a matchup the Dogs were warm favourites to win. A high-risk offensive onslaught from the Blues, who had lost their previous four matches, saw the Bulldogs wilt and fall to 15th on the AFL Ladder.
"We're under pressure now," Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney said. "It's us. Well, pressure's not the right word.
"We've got to fight back now and come out snarling next week."?
McCartney's men were 30 points down at half-time, with the coach particularly disappointed that they had conceded 13 goals.
"There was a bit of talk about dealing with the start," McCartney said. "I'm not sure we read the ball that well out on the ground today.
"The game was way too open, it was circle work, it was up and back, and that's not what we're about.
"I don't think any team wants to play like that, and we're no different.”
It will be another huge challenge defensively for the Bulldogs this Sunday against the Crows, after Adelaide booted a season-high 137 points to dismantle the Giants.
McCartney said the Bulldogs must play on instinct if they are to compete with the resurgent Crows this Sunday.
"A lot of our boys, we felt, just got caught between, 'Do I attack or do I defend?’
“Once you second-guess yourself and hesitate, it's gone.”
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