WESTERN Bulldogs defender Easton Wood says the club is treating the AFL's unique coronavirus-impacted season as an adventure.
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The 2016 premiership skipper, who returned from a quad injury to be one of the Dogs' best against North Melbourne, believes embracing the uncertainty will help propel the Luke Beveridge-led side towards finals.
Western Bulldogs are settling into their temporary home on the Gold Coast following the AFL's decision to send the 10 Victorian clubs to interstate hubs following a virus spike in Melbourne.
"I think we've done it really well. One of the themes we've used at different times is that adventure theme and this is a perfect example of that," Wood, who hails from Camperdown, told The Standard.
"We're just being open to whatever happens next and embracing whatever those challenges are that get thrown at us and this is one of those."
Wood, 30, said the Bulldogs - on a three-game winning streak - were "going with the flow".
"The only constant is change so just open yourself up to that and it becomes a lot easier," he said.
"Put your energy into controlling what you can control, otherwise if you're wasting it on stuff you can't, you're just going to end up tired, burnt out, stressed or annoyed."
Wood, one of just two premiership skippers in the Bulldogs' 95 years in the competition, credited the AFL for its ability to adapt in unusual circumstances.
"It is the big picture. Credit to the AFL for scrambling and making this work," he said.
"Operationally it's just a huge piece of work to re-locate so many teams and do it across multiple states with different rules.
"They've done a great job keeping the competition going. That means I still have a job, our coaches still have jobs and our staff still have jobs.
"We've made that commitment as a playing group to be flexible so it was good to put it to the test and into action."
Wood is in Queensland with wife Tiff and 10-month-old daughter Matilda.
The 162-game All-Australian said having his family alongside him was a relief.
"It's quite a nice vibe. I think there is five of us here with our families," he said.
"That alleviates a huge stress of your partner or wife having to deal one-out with the kid at home particularly now the state has gone back into lockdown.
"It's been nice to get up here and get settled and we can focus on training, playing and family.
"The big positive about coming up with the families is that we get to bond and spend that time together and make those memories together."
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Wood played in the Bulldogs' round one game in March before the pandemic shut the AFL season down and spent five weeks of the enforced layoff at his mum's property just outside Camperdown.
He injured his quad before round two last month and missed two matches.
His return against the Kangaroos netted 14 disposals and nine marks.
"I'd had 10 or 12 weeks of training to feel really good and I felt great and ready to go so it was such a shame to breakdown before that game," Wood said of the AFL re-start.
"That said it was great to have such a mountain of work behind me so when I did come back in on the weekend I knew I was ready to go. It was great to be back out there, god it was good.
"It felt like I hadn't played since last year. The big positive about coming up with the families is that we get to bond and spend that time together and make those memories together."
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