The Western Bulldogs will look to replicate the manic pressure that suffocated West Coast when they face Hawthorn in Friday’s AFL semi-final.

Hawthorn’s ability to control the play has become a trademark of their success, but Bulldogs veteran Matthew Boyd backed his side to restrict the Hawks’ ball movement at the MCG.

“Hawthorn are a really hard team to defend at any ground they play on … (but) we feel that if our team defence stacks up, we can defend any team,” Boyd said on Monday.