It may not draw the same fanfare as his official AFL debut but Sam Darley is enjoying every minute of the lead up to his first game for the Western Bulldogs against Melbourne on Sunday.

The defender is no stranger to the pace of senior football – having played 13 games with former club GWS Giants – but he sees being selected in the Bulldogs squad is a significant step forward.

FINAL TEAMS: View the final teams named ahead of the Bulldogs clash with Melbourne on Sunday

While injury delayed his start to the season, Darley has been gaining momentum in recent months in the VFL and his run off half back is being complemented by improved defensive efforts.

Amassing 20 touches at 85% efficiency, Darley was one of Footscray’s best performers in last week’s win, despite disrupted preparations after being the travelling emergency for the seniors.

“The last month I have really built my personal form and obviously the VFL have been going alright as a collective,” Darley said.

“The coach has been really happy with my defensive efforts off half back and then the ability to give the boys a bit of run and drive from there as well.”

After being approached by Senior Coach Brendan McCartney about his impending Bulldogs debut, Darley was quick to inform his family members and share the experience.

“[I] called my mother and my grandmother and then my sister, they were the first three points of call and I think mum and nan both were even more excited than I was – which is saying something,” he said.

The 21-year-old is not getting too distracted by the occasion, however, focusing more on the task of Melbourne and blending into the senior Bulldogs side.

“We had a look at Melbourne obviously this morning and we trained a little bit around that and the way that we want to go about it this weekend,” he said.

“It was a really good hitout… I think the boys are primed and ready to go.”

“Getting back to those basic things that served us well for a game and a half is really key and bouncing back with a really solid performance.”