After a luckless first two seasons in the AFL where he was hampered by injury, Josh Prudden earned a long-awaited senior debut in round 15 this season.
The 20-year-old has played the last two matches and said wearing the red, white and blue has been an honour.
“Obviously (his debut) was a massive honour, probably the proudest moment I’ve had in my life," said Prudden, speaking with Sportsday Radio on Monday.
“I was really keen to get it going… And just wanting the time to go as quick as possible for that first bounce.”
Prudden collected four tackles against the Cats and showed glimpses of his hard-nosed traits that saw him drafted to the Dogs at pick 51 in the 2012 NAB AFL National Draft.
Although only having two senior games to his name, the learnings taken from his fellow defenders have been immense for the defender.
Playing alongside Dogs captain Bob Murphy and the in-form Easton Wood, Prudden aims to take as much from the pair as he can.
“Obviously they’re extremely good players and it’s hard to understand Woody’s athleticism until you play with him.
“It’s amazing, his leap is unreal and he’s obviously got very good hands. If I can try and take as much from both of them as possible it would be nice.
“Bob’s obviously one of the best leaders in the competition and he’s really good around the Club, he’s willing to give up his time and help out the young boys as much as possible, they’re both great to have in the Club.”