The sound of the final siren against Melbourne on Sunday meant more to Sam Darley than most. Not only did it signal full time on his first game as a Bulldog – but also his first win in AFL career.

“In 14 games of footy it was my first AFL win, so I know when that siren went I went straight up to Dale Morris and, mate, I can’t describe the feeling I had at that time,” Darley said.

Pushed into the middle of the huddle with fellow debutant Mitch Honeychurch for a time-honoured Gatorade shower, Darley said it was a moment in his AFL career that he won’t forget.

“I would have preferred to not have the Gatorade, I actually sang the rest of the song with my eyes shut but those sorts of moments you will never forget,” he joked.

“[It’s] one that I’m not just proud of for myself but for the group as well – we worked really hard to get that win.”

Darley said the Bulldogs were prepared for the Demons to come out firing in the second half and his side’s ability to hold them off and secure the win was another step forward.

“That was Macca’s message, yeah they’d come at us in that third quarter and it was how we were going to respond as a group,” he said.

“That last 15 minutes it was tense but across the board we all thought that we’d get the job done.”

The half-back racked up 16 disposals at 75% efficiency and four rebound 50s in his first game for the Bulldogs but it was his composure under pressure that impressed most.