THE WESTERN Bulldogs' suspension of ruckman Will Minson over his sledging of Danyle Pearce may steel the Dogs for a big effort this weekend, Brisbane Lions vice-captain Josh Drummond says.

He said the only likely effect on them of the Minson furore was a positive one, and he had been impressed with the way they had embraced new coach Brendan McCartney's game-plan.

He said regardless of who they had on the field, competitiveness was a trait oozing from the Bulldogs, who have won five of 11 matches this season.

"They've got a lot of speed through the midfield and forward and a lot of guys you've got to keep an eye on and keep in check," he said.

"They're playing some good football and we're going to have to play four quarters."

After losing to Hawthorn by 65 points at the MCG on Sunday, the Lions will make another trip to Melbourne on a six-day turnaround.

The Bulldogs are one win ahead of them and Drummond said the Lions would have to mix their inside and outside game better than last week.

"From the stats, we were reasonably good at clearance and contested footy which are usually good indicators of the result and we still lost the game comfortably," he said.

"I think on the outside we got sucked into the football too much. What that means is when the opposition get the ball, they get that release and then really get damaging inside 50s.

"Our intent is there to get the footy but you've got to let the inside players do the inside work and hold your width."

Simon Black (knee), Ash McGrath (knee) and Todd Banfield (foot) will all undergo fitness tests to assess their availability.

Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting