Golden Square led both home and away encounters against Gisborne at the final change by 10 and 25 points, but was outscored a combined 9.10 to 2.2 in last quarters to lose both games.

The two Bulldogs’ rivals put their seasons on the line in Sunday’s first semi-final at the Queen Elizabeth Oval.

“Our fitness has picked up and we’re sharing the load a bit more as well,” Carter said.

“We’ve got near on our best side available this week, whereas at different stages through the year we haven’t had the full list of runners we would have liked.

“We ran out the game well against Eaglehawk last week.”

After a slow start, the Bulldogs last week kept their chances of a record-equalling sixth straight BFL premiership alive with a 25-point elimination final win over Eaglehawk.

The Bulldogs’ side has been further boosted with the inclusion this week of Hamish Morcom, who has missed the past four games with a shoulder injury.

“Hamish has had a really good year in a number of different roles, be it midfield or as a small or key forward,” Carter said.

“He gives us that versatility and grunt and marking power that we haven’t had in the forward line.

“It’s great to have him back, especially from a leadership perspective because he’s a player a lot of the younger guys look up to.”

Morcom’s inclusion for the injured Sam Harper is the only change to last week’s winning team.

“We have enormous respect for Gisborne and their mix of older champions and young players and we know they’ll bring their best,” Carter said.

“Our main aim is to ensure we get first to the footy, which is the golden rule of finals footy.”

The team:

C. Anderson M. Tyrrell R. Ladson

J. Coe D. Young J. Geary

P. Ryan S. Rosa C. Walls

J. Molinaro L. Woodward D. Lowry

J. Greenwood J. Burke H. Morcom

M. Compston C. Jones J. Daley

Interchange: J. Filo, J. Cowling, E. Pickles, T. Lechter