One of those is Rhett Weidemann, who has had to adapt to playing in the ruck this season after Shaun Allen has had his season hampered by injuries.

Weidemann has played in all but one of the Bulldogs games this season and while being named in the best five times believes that he is always wanting to improve his performance.

"You always want to play better footy than what you are," Weidemann said.

"I've been changed around a few positions this year, going back then went up forward for a bit.

"But now I've been rucking for most of the year.

"But getting a bit of experience all over the ground is always good."

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Playing his junior footy with Turvey Park, Weidemann had never been exposed to rucking before this season and although it took a few weeks for him to adjust he feels he is getting used to the position.

"This is the first time that I've been a ruckman," he said.

"I've always been at halfback and in juniors I was an on-baller, so it has been a bit different.

"The first two or three weeks were a bit of a surprise to how hard it can actually be, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it."

With it being so long since the Bulldogs last played finals, Weidemann said the group was excited to get stuck into it in just a few weeks time.

"It hasn't happened for a fair while which is always exciting," he said.

"But I think the boys are starting to wind it up a bit and are getting pretty keen to see how far we can actually go."

Weidemann also denied that the group had any extra pressure of performing in finals after being absent for 12 years.

"I don't think so at all," he said.

"I think coming in after that stint of not playing finals is going to give a bit of pressure on the other teams that have been playing finals regularly.

"We will play our usual game and see how far we can take it and if we win from here it's really a bonus."

Coming into this Saturday's game against the Tigers, the Bulldogs would love to get back on the winners list after falling to Griffith, Coolamon and Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong in their last three outings.

"It's something that we need to do," Weidemann said.

"Inconsistency has probably been our biggest thing throughout the year and we are just trying to keep consistent good form.

"But we need to bounce back and come home hard."

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