Forbes travel for the Blowes Clothing Cup clash sitting on top of the table while Bulldogs will look for improvement knowing that two key players remain out of their squad.

But the one big factor in the Bulldogs' favour? They're back at Ashwood Park.

The Bulldogs won their season opener against defending champions Orange Emus with an imperfect but gritty team performance - something Forbes will no doubt have in the back of their minds.

There's no need for panic stations at the Bulldogs camp but there is certainly a need for the team to start piecing together their combinations and bring back some fluidity to their attack.

The loss of both Justin Mobbs and Brad Glasson has had a big effect in that area.

Bulldogs captain Peter Fitzsimmons said the talent is there for his side to make a bounce back and time is still in their favour.

"We have a lot of time but in week one everything was going as best as it could before we lost Mobbsy and Brad. We lost them in key spots - Mobbsy running our lineout and Brad running our backline - and that hurt us," he said.

"We also allowed teams to set the pace of the game and play that physical style. We have a young side and we can't get involved in that real physical side of it. We've got to play a lot smarter than what we've been doing."

One thing Bulldogs have had to monitor this season, especially with their new-look pack, is how much time they spend toiling through the middle of the park.

Fitzsimmons said that's an area the squad can't afford to get bogged down in for endless phases during Saturday's clash.

"We can't get stuck doing it over and over throughout the game. We have to play with some flair and move the ball around well and that's not quite happening at the moment," he said.

"I don't think we've scratched the surface on some of the talent that we've got this year. They've got the potential to open up the competition but we haven't had these combinations together for long enough just yet.

"I'm hoping that we click soon because we can't afford to lose too many more.

"There's nothing wrong with the effort they're putting in. It's just the combination and connections need work, and they need to avoid getting sucked into other teams' game plans."

The Platypi claimed a tight 25-22 win over Orange City last round, keeping pace with Orange Emus and Cowra Eagles as two-game winners thus far.

Bulldogs will be keeping close tabs on the likes of Platypi's inside centre Andrew Saar and flanker Tom Menzies, who have been prominent on the try scorers sheets this season.

"It's looking like Forbes are rolling along pretty well. We've definitely got the upset in us if we do what we did in the first round," Fitzsimmons said.

"They've got some key players who are damaging but we've got some players across the park to have a go at them."

The match gets underway from 3.15pm.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: