The Western Bulldogs have been one of the most impressive teams in 2026, and with a 4-1 record, including wins against the Lions and Crows - two of the Top 4 teams from last year - they sit fourth on the ladder.
But after a 40-point defeat by Hawthorn in Gather Round, and with Geelong, Sydney and Fremantle coming up, Beveridge knows the Dogs can quickly fall back to the chasing pack.
"If you think about the first four games, and the acknowledgment that maybe we beat a couple of sides that we couldn't beat last year, that was important for us," Beveridge said.
"But coming into this next sequence of games – Hawthorn into Geelong, into Sydney, into Fremantle – four of the teams that appear to be formidable forces this year... "
Ahead of their Round 6 away clash against the Cats on Friday night, Beveridge outlined the areas his team is struggling in.
Beveridge said. "We felt like Hawthorn got us in the contest, they definitely got us in the intercept game. We can't play like that.
"So, if we go to how we're going to play this game against Geelong, we've got to minimise that happening, because Geelong still have some pretty strong key backs and some mid-pillar-style players that will intercept the ball.
"But we haven't been using the ball well. The competition and the opposition will only let you play a certain way, and we've forced our way through it at times, but we need a better blend in the phases and that's what we'll go after. We'll go after our own game in what we know works from a synchronicity point of view, and we'll definitely go in trying to disarm some of their strengths, as well."
The Bulldogs will welcome back gun midfielder Tom Liberatore, who returns after a two-match absence with a hamstring issue. Ed Richards, who hurt an ankle last week, is doing everything possible to get up for Friday's match.
Ruckman Tim English is the major injury concern. Scans revealed an MCL knee injury after the he went down during the Dogs' Round 4 win against the Bombers.
"I know that you're all finding that hard to deal with, but with most of our playing group over the journey, you can kind of predict when they're going to be ready," Beveridge said.
"He's still uncertain with the way he hasn't bounced out of the incident or the mechanism where he got injured.
"He won't play this week and I'm not sure whether it's two, three or four weeks."
