MICHAEL Voss says his Brisbane Lions team is inching closer to being respected by the competition after its surprise 58-point drubbing of the Western Bulldogs on Saturday.

With the club holding its Hall of Fame function in Melbourne post-game, the Lions were implored during the week to play a brand of football that made the club proud.

They were able to complete that job with ease, overcoming a lacklustre Bulldogs side with vigourous, tough, and competitive football. Three weeks after beating ladder-leaders West Coast at the Gabba, Voss said his team was closer to earning admiration from rival clubs.

"We had to play in a manner that [the club] was proud of, but … the guys also wanted to work towards being respected in the competition," Voss said.

"We've got a long way to [go] to get that [with] the way we go about our footy and the way we play. We realise that's going to take a bit of time across the competition."

Pleasingly for Voss, the Lions' win was built on its younger core of players.

Lions skipper Jonathan Brown found 15 touches but didn't kick a goal in the win, and Voss cited it as a "significant" development in the team's growth to win strongly without a big contribution from the veteran forward.

Tom Rockliff was a clear best on ground with 40 disposals and two goals, while Jack Redden (31 possessions), Pearce Hanley (29) and Dayne Zorko (29) were also vital to the victory. The Lions coach said the midfield group was beginning to "share the load."

"It's an emerging group but it's about being able to share that workload until a point in time when they become individually brilliant in their own right," Voss said.

It was the Lions' first win at Etihad Stadium since beating Essendon in round 21 in 2010.

Voss said the club had looked into its poor record at the venue during the week, and came up with some ideas to help overcome the Bulldogs, including shifting Ashley McGrath (five goals) into attack.

"Etihad's been a bit of a battle for us and we spoke a lot about that during the week and how we play this ground," Voss said.

"I think the guys really took that on board and we played it a lot better than we have in the past.

"As a result, Ash McGrath got moved a little bit forward and he was able to enjoy a few goals."

Callum Twomey is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey