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Western Bulldogs have the bye this week, but coach Brendan McCartney says his players will be thinking about their 92-point loss to Sydney for some time.
Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney is unsure whether the AFL bye will be a help or hindrance to his "embarrassed" team after they were humbled by Sydney at the SCG.
The Swans opened up a 47-point buffer at quarter-time on Sunday and eventually rolled the `Dogs by 92 points.
It was a performance most of the side would like to forget, but with a two-week gap before their next clash, there will be seldom chance to do so.
"I'll know more in two weeks (about whether the bye has come at a good time)," McCartney said.
"But you can't not have a rest because you've had a bad day.
"You've got to give people an opportunity to regenerate and I'm sure this game will bob up in all our players and coaches and club people's minds for a couple of days."
McCartney said his charges would hit back against Port Adelaide, who they host on Sunday week at Etihad Stadium.
"I am very confident in this group of people - players and coaches - that we'll bounce back strongly and look a lot better as a footy club next time we play."
After a competitive month of football - highlighted by close losses to Collingwood and Geelong - McCartney was upbeat the one-sided loss to the Swans was a one-off.
"It was a bad day," he said.
"If you asked every player they'd be pretty disappointed and a little bit embarrassed about how we played.
"We've been pretty consistent for six or seven weeks and we've got to make sure we mentally have a debrief and get ready for our next opponent."