THE Western Bulldogs must rediscover their self-belief urgently if they are to go further in the AFL finals, says midfielder Matthew Boyd.

He says the Dogs' confidence deserted them as they collapsed under pressure from Hawthorn, who stormed to a 51-point win, leaving the Bulldogs to survive a cut-throat semi-final.

He admits the players were nervous and jittery and unable to absorb the pressure of a final.

"I don't think we handled the situation too well, to be honest," he said. "A lot of guys had the fumbles, myself included. This wasn't the way to play finals footy and we got shown up by a better side.

"I think they played really good footy and their pressure was outstanding throughout the midfield and the whole ground.

"We didn't cover that pressure and it's something we have to rectify very quickly.

"We've just got to get back on the wagon, so to speak, and go again and try and get the things right that we didn't do.

"We finished third on the ladder for a reason, because we're a good side, and we've just got to believe that again."