Bulldogs building off lure of an AFL finals berth: Wood

The eighth-placed Dogs are pushing for a return to finals for the first time since they claimed the premiership in 2016.

Luke Beveridge's men have one final hurdle to clear - Adelaide in Ballarat - this weekend to secure their return to the September action.

Wood, who will play every home and away match for the first time in his career on Sunday, said the feeling around the club was contagious.

"I think with the youth, there's that really unbridled energy that comes with that group," the 29-year-old said.

"There's a real excitement about what we're doing together and what we can be capable of achieving.

"Certainly we're just hoping to put our best foot forward this weekend and whatever happens after that, we'll take care of it."

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The defender is effectively a veteran in the Bulldogs line up with a majority of the side, led by superstar midfielder Marcus Bontempelli, still in their early 20s.

But the second-year skipper said the group are all working as one when they cross the white line.

"There's lots of little things that teammates are doing to help bring each other into the game; knock-ons or blocks, little stuff that doesn't really get noticed on the stat sheet but goes a long way towards helping us score or retain possession," he said.

"It's really special when you have that feeling of playing for each other."

Wood joined Beveridge in dismissing the parallels between the premiership year and the Dogs' form late in 2019, but said the group's mantra had not changed.

"I think that 'anything can happen' mindset has been consistent among the group for a long time," he said.

"That open-ended kind of question is something that Bevo's really good at, something that has been a consistent part of his coaching since he started."

Over the past month, the Bulldogs have smashed Fremantle, Essendon and Greater Western Sydney, kicking more than 100 points in each of those wins, to jump into finals contention.

They have also won seven of their 10 games since the mid-season bye after finishing the first 11 matches of the season with four wins.

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