LUKE Dahlhaus has similar traits to Hawthorn genius Cyril Rioli, says Western Bulldogs veteran Daniel Giansiracusa.

Not long after Rioli mesmerised the Magpies at the MCG, the dreadlocked Dahlhaus bagged a career-high four goals - doubling his previous best of two - in the Bulldogs' 18-point loss to Carlton at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

The 19-year-old's effort gave forlorn Bulldogs fans a much-needed reminder of the high-end young talent they have in their midst.

And Giansiracusa reinforced this optimism in no uncertain terms with his Rioli comparison.

"I reckon he's similar to Cyril in the way he hits the deck and bounces up to be involved in the next contest or put pressure on," Giansiracusa told AFL.com.au.

"One of his goals on [Saturday night] was like that - the ball got smothered and 'Dal' got straight back up and kicked it over his shoulder.

"Obviously Cyril's been in the game a lot longer and is probably a little bit silkier than Dal, but there's no reason he can't get to that level. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, though."

And, like Rioli, Dahlhaus often sets the standard for his teammates when it comes to energising the side with his raw enthusiasm and pressure acts.

"He's really set the benchmark for us in that area this year," Giansiracusa said. "We definitely feed off him. He's a great teammate."

Dahlhaus's goal haul against the Blues broke a long sequence of inconsistency in front of the sticks. After kicking five goals in an electrifying opening five rounds, he managed just 4.12 in his next 10 games, for a season tally of 9.16. It now stands at a more respectable 13.17.

"He's done a lot of work on it," Giansiracusa said. "I don't want to pot him too much but he's kicked a few points this year. He's always out there practising his set shots and snaps and he showed [against Carlton] that it's paying off. Hopefully he can keep getting those kinds of rewards for the rest of the year."

Giansiracusa's admiration for the teenager more than 10 years his junior is obvious.

"For a guy his size, to be able to do some of the things he does is fantastic," he said.

"He competes probably as good as anyone in our side. He puts great pressure on the opposition and tackles really well. Even when a high ball comes in, he has a crack and comes out with it sometimes.

"From where he's come from - off our rookie list last year to being one of the vital players in our side - is an amazing effort."

Giansiracusa has made a career from being a small-forward/midfielder and believes Dahlhaus has what it takes to be prominent in the dual role as his running power improves.

"As he starts to get a bit of attention, it'll be good for him to get into the midfield more and free himself up a little bit," he said.

"His tank's not terrible; he's just in his second year of AFL footy and it takes a few pre-seasons to develop that. I'm sure he's got that in him, as long as he keeps working hard, and he definitely does that on the field.

As for Dahlhaus's potential, Giansiracusa wouldn’t nominate a limit.

"He's a fairly unique kind of player, so I think he'll be as good as he wants to be," he said.

"As teammates, we've given him that feedback and I think he's starting to understand what it takes to play at this level, with things like workrate and professionalism off the ground. He'll only continue to get better at that.

"We're a big wrap for him and we're really happy he's at our club."