Western Bulldogs forward Robert Murphy says it is crucial his side rediscover their missing mojo before an AFL finals campaign they are limping towards.

The Bulldogs have won just one of their past five matches, and look a far cry from the side who lost just one of their first 15 games this year before going into a mid-winter tailspin.

Murphy was refusing to panic despite their form slump, pointing to the momentum the Dogs have built up in the past year as being more important than their current flat spot.

But he admitted a win in the next remaining two home-and-away matches - starting with Friday night's clash with Essendon - was important to put them on a roll.

"It's crucial. You want to go into the finals with a fair bit of momentum. But I think for the whole season we've built a fair bit of momentum over 12 months," Murphy said.

"The last few weeks have been a bit disappointing but we've got plenty of time to get it right."

The Bulldogs are already guaranteed at least third place for the finals, regardless of the result of their two remaining regular season games.

The slumping Dogs are likely to give veteran midfielder Scott West one more run in the reserves before his long-awaited comeback ahead of the finals.

West last week made his first competitive appearance since round six, in the second-tier VFL, as he battles an ongoing knee problem.

While West looked proppy, he still had 27 touches and did enough to suggest the Bulldogs will use him over the next fortnight.

Assistant coach Peter Dean said West was likely to make his return to the senior side sooner rather than later as the Dogs tried to arrest a form slump ahead of the finals.

But Dean hinted the 33-year-old would need more reserves football to be ready, meaning it was unlikely the seven-time Dogs best and fairest would play on Friday night.

"He's done all the training, he's had some setbacks but he's an old warhorse so we expect him to come out and train today," Dean said.

"We'll soldier on and we'll hope he comes up for us.

"It's not out of the realms of possibility (he'll play for the Dogs ahead of the finals).

"He needs to perform, he needs to get through games, and he'll come into consideration."

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