The way eclectic Western Bulldogs forward Robert Murphy sees it, Rocky can still beat Ivan Drago in the AFL.

Always a left-field thinker, Murphy used the 1980s movie Rocky IV to demonstrate why a team did not necessarily need state-of-the-art training facilities to be successful.

In Rocky IV, Sylvester Stallone's title character trains in spartan Siberian conditions while Drago, his Russian opponent, prepares for their fight with the aid of sports science.

Rocky Balboa wins the bout, of course.

"It's a hard one - I don't know if you've seen Rocky IV, where Ivan Drago and Rocky Balboa (fight)," Murphy said.

"He managed to do okay.

"A gym is a gym - you've still got to lift the weights and I quite liked our old facilities, they were pretty worn-in, but plenty of blood, sweat and tears.

"The new one is pretty exciting and pretty slick as well, it's hard to put a measure on it."

The Bulldogs have just officially opened their new Elite Learning Centre as part of a massive redevelopment of Whitten Oval.

The Dogs are barking loud with nine wins and a draw halfway through the season, while Saturday's opponents Brisbane have won their last four games to reach seventh.

Former Demons star Travis Johnstone sparked Murphy's reference to a dodgy 1980s action movie when he talked about the differences between the Melbourne and Brisbane clubs.

The Demons traded Johnstone to the Lions after last season and he is relishing the change.

"This weather is a bit depressing, so I can't wait to get back up there," Johnstone said.

"The facilities, the club and the way they go about things, it's just a total flip of the coin, it's totally different and I'm really enjoying it.

"(Facilities) make a huge difference in clubs ... the players deserve the best of recoveries and training facilities.

"You're not getting shopped around the place to find a training facility, things like that."

While Johnstone is enjoying the new surroundings, coach Leigh Matthews has kept him honest with some sharp comments a few weeks ago about the midfielder's form.

"Some clubs might be a bit lenient on you sometimes, but up there, if you're not pulling your weight and doing the right thing, you're pulled into line pretty quickly," Johnstone said.

"It's changed since about six weeks ago when he (Matthews) probably didn't like me - the boys get into me a fair bit because he did come out in the paper and give me a fair rev-up.

"I'm getting a few acknowledgments from him (now)."

Finally, for the record, Murphy said it is a no-brainer which Rocky film is best.

"The original is the one," he declared.

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