AT THE start of the season, rookies Roarke Smith and Daniel Pearce were hoping, rather than expecting, to play senior football in 2015.
However, both find themselves in an in-form Bulldogs' team ahead of a top-four tussle against West Coast.
It will be huge achievement for each youngster, but for two different reasons.
WATCH: Roarke Smith in action as a Calder Cannon
Smith has burst off the rookie list in his debut season after impressive form with Footscray in the VFL, and has caught the eye of 2008 premiership Hawk Campbell Brown in the process, as Brown fulfills his duties as Channel 7's VFL commentator.
"We've broadcast a lot of Footscray games this year and Smith's definitely been a stand-out," Brown told AFL.com.au.
"He's hard, he reads the ball in the air really well, has great closing speed and uses the ball well off the half-back flank and on the wing.
"He's certainly been knocking on the door for a few weeks and it's good to see him finally get his opportunity."
The Sunbury product wasn't even on the Bulldogs' recruiting radar until the second half of 2014, but a standout finish with losing Grand Finalists, the Calder Cannons, put his name into draft calculations.
And with that big game experience under his belt, Brown believes the 18-year-old will no trouble stepping up to the pace of AFL footy and handling the cauldron that Domain Stadium is for visiting teams.
"It's a tough road trip over to Perth, but he'll certainly acquit himself really well and it will be interesting to see how the game goes," Brown said.
"We've seen Caleb Daniel, Bailey Dale and now Roarke Smith debut, and when they get their chance, they look like they belong at the top level.
"And like all the other young Doggies who have debuted this year, they've done a great job keeping pressure on the senior players."
For Pearce, his selection ends three seasons in the footballing wilderness after registering five senior matches as a draftee in 2012.
Daniel Pearce evades Demon Jack Viney during a NAB Challenge game in March. Picture: AFL Media
Recruited with pick No.49 in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft, the 22-year-old battled injuries and indifferent form and was delisted at the end of 2014.
But the versatile playmaker was thrown a lifeline in the rookie draft and he's made the most of it, leap-frogging a host youngsters including Dale, Nathan Hrovat and Mitch Honeychurch into a Bulldogs' side bound for September.
“He’s been impressing everyone with his attack on the ball, his aggression and his ability to play multiple positions," said Bulldogs' assistant coach Steven King.
"At VFL level he’s played back, forward and midfield, so he just gives us a bit more flexibility.”
Luke Beveridge's mantra is versatility, and it means both Smith and Pearce are set for a much bigger role in the Dogs' resurgence than they once might have expected.
