Two goals and 18 touches saw Jason Tutt make a strong return to senior football in Saturday’s win against GWS Giants, as he looks to consolidate a spot in the Western Bulldogs’ forward line.

Possessing the pace and endurance that could bolster the young side, his performance in round 15 has him well placed to feature more frequently on the run home, Development Coach Chris Maple said.

“He started the game really well, he got on the end of a good handball off Jack Macrae and kicked a good goal to finish with,” Maple said.

“So great for his confidence, I’ve been working hard with Jason trying to build his confidence and that will take his game to the next level.”

Dividing his time between the VFL and AFL side this season, the 22-year-old is beginning to find form with his bursts of speed and increased tank, while adding scoreboard pressure for the Bulldogs.

“He played a few games back at VFL level just to get his touch back,” he said.

“He’s done that and it was good to see him come back on the weekend, kick a couple, have 18 possessions but really run hard up and down the ground and clear space and create opportunities for us.”

The next challenge for Tutt is to find consistency within games and week to week, and learning to greater exploit his natural attributes.

“[He is] predominantly playing half forward and as a winger, just to get up and down that ground, close exits defensively but also to clear space for us and hopefully get on the end of some good running patterns where he can to score a goal,” he said.

“We need him to use his speed and bursts of speed defensively as well to get some tackles, and they are just little progressions that we are going to see in his game.”