The Bulldogs set up a preliminary final against Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium with a stunning 23-point upset of Hawthorn, ending the Hawks’ bid for a fourth premiership in a row.

That came after their comprehensive elimination final win over West Coast in Perth, which many expected would be too big a hurdle for them given their injury issues.

“We have been underdogs the last two weeks and it’s probably something that sits well with us as a group,” Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli told Channel Seven’s Game Day.

Hopefully the answers will come out on the field

“We do have an incredible amount of belief and it came to fruition (against Hawthorn) on Friday night… we carry that same belief and motto with us, that ‘why not us?’ and ‘why can’t it be us?’.

“I don’t have any real answers now but hopefully the answers will come out on the field.”

It’s a different situation for the weekend’s other semi-final winners Sydney, who were the dominant team for most of the season to finish on top of the ladder.

A qualifying final stumble against the Giants put them into a sudden-death semi-final against Adelaide, but their class shone through against the Crows in a comfortable 36-point win.

The Swans now face Geelong in Friday night’s preliminary final off a six-day break with the Cats having earned a weekend off following their qualifying win over the Hawks.

“They’re going to be fresh but it’s a prelim final so anything can happen,” Swans star Josh Kennedy said.

“It’ll be interesting. It’s the first time you’ve had a (pre-finals) bye.

“We’re really confident that off the back of last night we can hopefully bring that pressure and intensity again.”

Swan Gary Rohan before being stretchered off the SCG against the Crows on Saturday. Photo: Dean Lewins / AAP

Sydney’s injured stars will be put through their paces on Wednesday, with ruckman Kurt Tippett shaping up well in his bold bid to play Friday night’s AFL preliminary final.

Swans coach John Longmire and the club’s medical staff face some tough calls this week, with Tippett (broken jaw), Gary Rohan (bruised leg), Jarrad McVeigh (calf strain) and Callum Mills (hamstring strain) all in doubt for the clash with Geelong.

Scans have cleared both Rohan and McVeigh, who were hurt in the Swans’ semi-final win over Adelaide, of serious damage.

There was a sense of relief at the SCG today, especially for Rohan given the speedster was taken from the field on a stretcher and has endured a luckless run since breaking his leg in 2012.

But McVeigh and Rohan still face an uphill battle as they seek to prove their fitness during a six-day turnaround.

Tippett and Mills, who were injured in week one of the finals, are also in the mix for a recall but likewise have a lot of work to do in a short space of time.

Longmire was reluctant to comment about the quartet’s chances of tackling Geelong, noting the club’s training session on Wednesday would be crucial.

“We don’t want to rule anyone in or out. We’ll give them every opportunity,” Longmire said.

“We’ll certainly get more of an idea on Wednesday but we may have to wait until Thursday and see how players pull up from training.”

Mills ran laps on Monday morning but Sydney will be reluctant to roll the dice on him and McVeigh given the risk of recurrence with their respective setbacks.

Tippett has trained well since his jaw was inadvertently broken by Callan Ward in a ruck contest and is considered the most likely of the sidelined Swans to be picked.

“He was able to play out the game against GWS. He was able to train really well here on Sunday,” Longmire said.

“It’ll come down to a discussion between coaching staff, medical staff and Kurt on Wednesday. Then we’ll see how he pulls up and how he feels.”

Zak Jones, who has recovered from a nasty concussion, Harry Cunningham and Dean Towers are the frontrunners to be recalled should Longmire be forced to make some changes.

Rohan was clearly distressed and in a lot of pain after hurting himself in a marking contest on Saturday night.

There was no shortage of speculation about the 25-year-old’s setback, with pundits’ diagnoses ranging from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) to bone damage.

“That’s why it’s important not to to jump to too many conclusions too early,” Longmire said.

“It was obviously a concern for him and his family after being through what he’s been through a few years ago in that particular leg.

“You can understand his apprehension but it was great news when he got the results back of the scans that the bone itself was in good nick.”

-AAP