There were a couple of minutes left in the third quarter of Saturday’s win over St.Kilda where fans got a glimpse of why the Dogs were so pleased when Tim English was still on the board at pick 19 of the 2016 NAB AFL Draft.

English stands 205cm, but a late growth spurt saw him play most of his time across half-back and on the wing in his formative years, and yet as he grew, the skills remained.

His ability below his knees seem unnatural for someone so tall, yet there it was. 

With the composure of a veteran, and the skills of a smaller man, English scooped the ball of the deck and shot out a handball like a midfielder.

And it was that composure that he had to call upon as he drove into the ground on Saturday morning for his AFL debut and found himself in a minor car accident.

“As I was coming here I’d been back ended and charged into the car in front of me, so I had to catch an Uber in in the end, he told westernbulldogs.com.au in the rooms post-match. 

“I’m not sure how my car is now, but it was a different sort of build-up, but I tried to stay calm and I really enjoyed it.”

While English finished with a modest seven disposals and three tackles in his debut playing in multiple positions, he showed why the Dogs extended his contract before he’d played a game.

“Luke showed great confidence in me to play a number of different roles today, which moving forward, it’s something I’d like to do,” he said.

“So, I ended up playing a bit of time in the ruck, a bit of time on the wing and a bit of time forward, so it’s good developing all of those parts of my game.”

And in true Bulldog spirit, despite it being a major personal milestone, for English, it was all about the team.

“The win is the most important part, to get a win in my first game, and in indigenous round as well, which is such a significant round, culturally. 

“It’s something I’ll really enjoy when I look back.”