Nathan Hrovat showed a lot of poise and calmness in his debut performance, but the teenager could not hide his satisfaction in the rooms after the Western Bulldogs win.

“It was unbelievable, especially getting the win was phenomenal – all the boys put in 100% and it was just great to get offered a win,” Hrovat said.

Rotating between the forward line and playing onball, Hrovat looked a natural footballer collecting 19 disposals, four marks, four tackles and four inside 50s.

Watch highlights of Nathan Hrovat's debut game from start to finish as BulldogsTV takes you behind the scenes.

The Northern Knights recruit showed he could impact the game early, setting up Tom Williams inside 50 in the opening minutes of the clash.

He then continued to have a hand in a number of integral plays, including kicking a goal with his second kick.

“Getting the touch early was good and then the goal, I was just… going ballistic - my hand was just shaking,” he said.

“It was good, it was good to get a touch early and to actually hit a target.”

Pairing up with Luke Dahlhaus in the forward line, the Bulldogs were given an exciting glimpse into the future – while Hrovat saw real benefit in drawing on the third year recruit’s expertise.

“It was awesome having Dahl, he was so much help today – when  I didn’t know where to set up or if I was a bit eerie about things, he was very clear on where to go and what to do,” he said.

“He’s going to be very good for me.”

Hrovat said Senior Coach Brendan McCartney was buoyed but level about the Bulldogs’ performance, especially in their ability to turn the momentum in the fourth quarter to solidify the win

“He was just pleased with how the boys fought back and capitalised and kept their composure and got the win,” he said.