Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade admits his club has a tough task to make the AFL top four after falling two wins adrift at the halfway point of the season.

Collingwood downed the Bulldogs 17.11 (113) to 16.7 (103) at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, their second win over the Dogs this season, after beating them in the opening round.

It broke a two-match losing streak for the Magpies, lifting them to second spot and an 8-3 record, on percentage clear of St Kilda and Fremantle, all a game behind ladder leaders Geelong.

But the Dogs (6-5) have slumped to sixth, falling short against the Magpies despite kicking the final six goals, in a similar pattern to last round's loss to Essendon.

Eade said his side's skill level had been down, but worse was their conservative approach, only cutting loose out of necessity in the last term.

"I really noticed tonight more than even last week, I think tonight was probably a bit more of a cautious approach," Eade said.

"We've got to play the way we normally play and be able to take things on and if we lose, we lose."

They will need to find a spark fast to make the top four, something that has proved a virtual necessity to winning a premiership, a feat the club started the season with high hopes of achieving.

"We've got the job ahead of us," Eade said.

"But as I've said all along, our main focus is to win enough games to get in the eight first ... it's a tight competition and you can't take anything for granted."

More bad news was an ankle injury to classy half-forward Shaun Higgins, which Eade said would cost him at least two matches, and perhaps six or more if he needed surgery, while Ben Hudson was reported for a rough tackle on Luke Ball.

Earlier, Sydney solidified their spot in the eight with a hard-fought 12.17 (89) to 12.8 (80) victory over Essendon at the SCG, breaking a run of four consecutive losses to join the Dogs on 6-5.

Hawthorn continued their mid-season resurgence, downing Port Adelaide 10.14 (74) to 8.15 (63) at the MCG.

It was their fourth straight win, lifting them into eighth spot on percentage, a remarkable feat given their season looked all but shot when they had just one win from seven rounds.

The Saints continued their re-emergence as a power side, with a convincing 38-point win over Richmond on Friday night.

Carlton are in fifth position, a game out of the four, after holding off Melbourne for a 41-point win at the MCG on Saturday.

Fremantle were surprise 23-point losers to strugglers Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Saturday, the Crows lifting to farewell dual premiership veteran Tyson Edwards.

The Kangaroos caused the weekend's other major upset, surviving a huge Brisbane comeback to sneak home by a point at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

The Lions meet the Bulldogs in a crunch clash at Etihad Stadium next Sunday.

And the Cats confirmed their competition dominance, downing West Coast by four goals at Subiaco on Saturday night.

But Geelong are not without their problems, with captain Cameron Ling (shoulder), and key forwards Cameron Mooney (ankle) and James Podsiadly (groin) all joining a long injury list.

In another blow, Corey Enright was reported for charging West Coast's Adam Selwood, in an incident which left the Eagles tagger with an AC joint injury.

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