Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade is confident back pocket Jarrod Harbrow will resist an offer to join the Gold Coast AFL club and re-sign with the Dogs.

Harbrow has been linked with the Gold Coast given he is out of contract at the end of this year, is considered one of the emerging stars in the competition and has Queensland links.

But Eade was hopeful the Bulldogs could continue the recent trend of clubs keeping the Gold Coast away from their stars by getting Harbrow, originally from Cairns, to commit to a new deal.

"We're confident he can stay, I think we've got a good sales pitch as far as where we are as a club on and off the field," Eade told the Seven Network on Sunday.

"So we're certainly confident with that and he's a very loyal young man."

The Gold Coast have already missed out on luring a host of stars who have re-signed with their existing clubs either this year or last, including St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt, Hawthorn pair Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead, Geelong's Joel Selwood and Adelaide's Kurt Tippett, who grew up on the Gold Coast.

The Bulldogs recently re-signed Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney, who was another on the Gold Coast's wish list.

Eade said he had not spoken to Harbrow, 21, about his future because he did not want to pose a distraction given the backman's good form this season.

"It's a real delicate situation," he said.

"We know he has been spoken to by the Gold Coast, but you don't want to lose his talent for this year by him being fuddled in the mind.

"So we've got to be mindful of that and respectful of that because we want him to play good footy for us."

Geelong star Gary Ablett, who is out of contract this year, remains the Gold Coast's major recruiting target as their marquee player for when they enter the league next year.

Meanwhile, Bulldogs captain Brad Johnson said he was confident of enjoying a trouble-free second half of the season when he return from his achilles injury.

Johnson, 33, has endured by far the most disrupted of his 17 seasons as he has played only three games and is set to miss another two at least.

The Bulldogs have given Johnson time off so he can fully recover from tightness and soreness in the tendon, and he was hopeful that when he returned, he would experience no more hassles.

"I think I'm right on top of it now, so I don't think there'll be any issues for the second half of the year," he told Seven.

"I'm on top of it now and starting to get going."

Johnson missed Saturday's thumping of North Melbourne, and is likely to be sidelined from the coming games against Essendon and Collingwood.

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