The plaudits from fans and commentators have been coming thick and fast the past month, but Gold Coast SUNS midfielder David Swallow said his team has spoken about keeping level heads in the midst of a four-game winning streak.

The GC SUNS can move in to the top four with a win over the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, but Swallow insisted the squad hasn’t looked too far forward, with some massive assignments coming up.

“We had a talk about it (this week). We’ve only beaten the bottom five sides and one other, so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves,” Swallow said.

“The next month or two is going to be a really good test to see where we’re at. We’ve got a lot of areas still to improve.”

Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney has preached commitment to the contest since he joined the club, and his message appears to be getting through.

In the round 8 win over Melbourne, the Bulldogs laid 108 tackles to the Demons’ 75. Prime movers Ryan Griffen (15), Tom Liberatore (14) and Matthew Boyd (10) all recorded double-figure tackle tallies in the crucial 16-point win.

Swallow was full of praise for the likes of Boyd and Griffen, although the latter’s disposal average has dropped markedly from 29 touches per game in 2013 to 20.4 this season, with the likes of Liberatore, Jackson Macrae and Luke Dahlhaus now finding more of the footy.

“They’re great players. They’ve been great players for years. Again, a good challenge for our midfield,” he said.

“Gonna be a crucial game for us. Similar to St Klda, they’ve got a lot of experienced players and a lot of good players coming through. We’re going to have to be at our best again this weekend to match them.”

The GC SUNS currently lead the AFL in contested possessions per game, while the Bulldogs sit in 16th spot.