Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade says his club took a "quantum leap" forward this season, but still have a big gap to make up if they want to reach an AFL grand final next year.

While heartened by the spirited performance the 'Dogs showed in Friday night's 12.11 (83) to 7.12 (54) preliminary final loss at the MCG, after coming in as rank outsiders, Eade said there was a huge amount of improvement needed to take the next step.

"The main lesson (from the season) is that there are fruits of your labour if you do work hard enough and then the extension of that is close enough is not good enough," Eade said.

"I think there's a real big positive for this season. But there's something to learn and we've got to have the same hard work, same focus for next year and we've got to be prepared to take those steps forward next year.

"We had a quantum leap forward in positions on the ladder, 13th to third, but third to second, or third to first is equally as big a step and there's no given in this game.

"It's an uncompromising game and it's a tough competition and there's no guarantee that we'll be back in this same position again next year, so we've got to make sure that happens."

Eade said there were a "couple little holes" that had been shown up in the side during the finals series that they needed to fix before next season.

While unwilling to detail those, he conceded that one of them was the lack of a quality key forward, with that deficiency obvious Friday night, when the 'Dogs kicked their lowest score of the season.

The Bulldogs have tried to plug that gap by regularly using ruckman Will Minson in attack this season, with limited success.

Minson had little impact on Friday night, pulling down just three marks, and missing his only two shots at goal, both at crucial times in the second half.

But one of the biggest positives for Eade was the development of some of the side's younger players this year.

Shaun Higgins and Jarrod Harbrow both played important hands on Friday night, kicking two goals each as the club's only multiple goal-kickers to spark the team.

While veteran midfielder Scott West, who missed most of this season through injury, is uncertain to continue next year and captain Brad Johnson has probably only a season or two left in his career, Eade said mostly the squad was young enough to improve steadily.

"I think we're on the way up," he said.

"We've got a couple of older blokes, but generally we're a younger squad.

"There's another three or four youngsters, probably five really in our Williamstown group that we want to play regular senior footy next year.

"So I think there's exciting times ahead but we've got to have that focus that we did over this summer and take that into next year."

Skipper Johnson said: "To get this far, it will certainly burn.

"We're a group that learns and with the education of Rocket (Eade) and the other coaches we'll certainly be better and stronger next year," he said.

"After experiencing it, they'll want it (again). They won't want to let that slip again."

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