A nasty bout of gastro, rather than concussion, left Western Bulldogs utility Daniel Giansiracusa feeling well off his game in the 71-point AFL win over Gold Coast.

Giansiracusa suffered a cut to the back of his head early in the game and looked very wobbly at quarter-time, leading to speculation he had been knocked out.

Concussion is a hot topic this season after the league introduced stricter guidelines for how clubs should handle such incidents during matches.

Giansiracusa stayed in the game until the third term, when he was subbed out.

His physical problem only became clear post-match, with the Bulldogs stressing he was not concussed.

"He was a bit sick before the game and I think he vomited just before the game started," said Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade.

"He had a bit of gastro and then he came off once and was crook again.

"I think he fought through that really well, he was one I thought showed a bit of leadership - he was good, worked hard.

"We made the call at halftime if we were looking for a sub player, he was the one to look at so we got confirmation halfway through the third."

The Bulldogs' doctors were kept busy throughout the game, with Shaun Higgins retching on the boundary line after a hit to his upper chest.

Callan Ward was dazed after contact from Campbell Brown in the first term that is certain to come under video scrutiny, while Ben Hudson hurt his ankle.

Suns pair Karmichael Hunt and Deon Prestia needed help from the field in the last quarter, but coach Guy McKenna said they were suffering from cramp.

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