Matthew Boyd and his fellow Western Bulldogs midfielders were on a mission on Saturday against the Brisbane Lions.

Despite the ease of last week's AFL win over St Kilda, the Bulldogs felt they had under-performed at the stoppages in that game and were determined to cut the Lions' supply to their forwards, especially Jonathan Brown.

The result was a dominant performance as the Bulldogs smashed Brisbane by 63 points.

"We were really disappointed with how we went in the midfield last week, we got smashed ourselves," Boyd said.

"It's something we've really prided ourselves on this year and we've been up near the top for clearances.

"We got smacked last week and it was really important for us to be on top in there - it makes the backs' job a lot easier."

Boyd continued his strong form, starting on a wing and racking up 32 disposals.

As Adam Cooney, Ryan Griffen and Jason Akermanis headline the Bulldogs, Boyd and Daniel Cross also continue to earn respect for their work.

Last year, a lot of responsibility fell on Boyd when other onballers were injured and he is much-respected as one of the team's workhorses.

"He's one of those players who go under the radar a bit, because he just accumulates (possessions) and works," said Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade.

"He's had some good scalps as far as quality players he's played on, as well as winning the ball.

"Today, he didn't win the ball as well as he normally has, little chip kicks here and there that probably weren't great and frustrated the coach a bit.

"Boydy is one of those players like Daniel Cross - just their workrate on and off the track is a great example to the rest of the team."

Eade noted that Boyd struggled as an under-18 player, spent some time as a seconds player in the Frankston VFL side and was given few favours on the way to becoming an AFL player.

"He's now one of our best midfielders - it's a great credit to him," Eade said.

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