Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade has rejected suggestions that his team's indifferent recent win-loss record had a bearing on the Dogs' 51-point thumping by Hawthorn in Friday night's Second Qualifying Final at the MCG.

The Bulldogs went into the opening match of the 2008 finals with just two wins from their last seven matches of the home and away series.

While Eade acknowledged at his post-match media conference that the win-loss ratio was poor, he said his team's form over the past two months had been reasonably good.

"We were just beaten by a far better side," said Eade.

"It looks like we got overawed by the whole occasion which is certainly disappointing."

"I think their pressure was very good, but I think there was a lot of inferred pressure where we made mistakes that we shouldn't have made and it was very disappointing."

"From the club's point of view and the supporters' point of view it was a very poor performance and we need to bounce back next week."

Eade said he was particularly disappointed with the way his team 'fiddled and mucked around' with the ball - the Dogs had 423 possessions to the Hawks' 347 - and that several players 'have got to answer some questions'.

But he said he was confident of the Dogs' capacity to bounce back in next week's semi-final against the winner of Saturday night's clash at ANZ Stadium between Sydney and North Melbourne.

"There's got to be some accountability - our supporters will want that," he said.

"It's not what we stand for and it's not what we're about as a footy club."

"The players have to stand up and be counted."

Eade said he was pleased with Brian Lake's second-half performance on Hawthorn match-winner Lance Franklin who finished with eight goals, and said several of his senior players were shown up by the efforts of finals debutants Josh Hill, Shaun Higgins and Jarrod Harbrow.

Lindsay Gilbee (corked calf) and Robert Murphy (corked knee) were the only Dogs requiring treatment after the match but both should be right for next week, said Eade.