MATTHEW Boyd struggled for words, and who could blame him?

He was part of the Western Bulldogs side to lose three straight preliminary finals from 2008-10, but in his 14th season, the veteran's 282nd game next week will be a Grand Final.

Just minutes after the visitors stunned Greater Western Sydney to win a thrilling preliminary final by six points on Saturday night, the veteran shook his head as he tried to describe to AFL.com.au what his team had just done.

"Oh mate, I don't know, I actually don't know," he said.

"It's surreal at the moment, it doesn't feel real."

Like they have all year, the Bulldogs found a way to buck the odds against the Giants, their third finals victory in a row after finishing the regular season in seventh spot, and their second win interstate.

In just two years at the helm, coach Luke Beveridge has instilled unbelievable belief and character in his group, and it came to the fore again when GWS jumped to a 14-point lead early in the last quarter.

They looked done, but led by Boyd, the tenacious Luke Dahlhaus, Clay Smith, Marcus Bontempelli and Tory Dickson, the Dogs responded to yet another challenge by winning a number of huge one-on-one contests, and kicking four of the game's last five goals.

"It's a trust that we've got in each other that when those moments do come, we'll have someone that will stand up," Boyd said.

"Then the next person will go, and the next person will go.

"Nobody let us down, we had 22 unbelievable contributors who all played their part.

"It's just such a tight group, and a lot of people say that about their group, but it's tangible the care we have for each other, it's like a brotherhood.

"It's sounds like a cliché, but it's so real for us.

"We just really dig deep for each other and it's one of the most extraordinary playing groups I've ever been involved with."

With the club having just the single premiership cup in the cabinet at the Whitten Oval, and only one other Grand Final appearance, most of the Bulldogs will enter foreign territory in the build-up to next week's clash with the Sydney Swans.

But Boyd said that inside the club, there was no shortage of wise heads to help guide Beveridge and his players through the build-up to the biggest game in the club's history, and they're hell bent on finishing a fairytale season.

"We've got Matty Suckling who's played in two flags at the Hawks, and we've got assistant coaches Joel Corey and Steven King who played in premierships with Geelong," he said.

"We've got a lot of people at the club who have been involved in finals and big games, so there's plenty of experience to draw from.

"We'll be leaning on those guys this week.

"We'll recover well, and as boring as it sounds, we go back to what we've been doing all year.

"We trust the system and trust each other that we'll be able to get it done."