Not many players have burst onto the scene in the fashion Bailey Smith has. 

The second-year midfielder looks like he was born to play AFL football – he hasn’t missed a trick from day one.

Smith was again among the best in Saturday’s important 28-point win against Melbourne, racking up an equal game-high 26 disposals as the Bulldogs produced a dominant third term to run away from the Dees.

“We just wanted to fight all day,” Smith told westernbulldogs.com.au ­post-game.

“Being down at half-time, to come back the way we did is a credit to how we worked as a team and we’re rapt to get the four points.

“We’ll keep backing the way we play, just trust the process and what we’ve been doing.”

Remarkably, Smith has played every AFL game – all 36 – since making his debut in round one last year.

The number seven pick from 2018 already has cult-hero status.

He has more Instagram followers than any other Bulldogs’ player – 127,000 – and by season’s end, will probably have gone past the club’s 130,000.

But it’s his on-field impact which has endeared him to the red, white and blue faithful, with his ball-winning and line-breaking ability further adding to a star-studded midfield led by the likes of Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae, Tom Liberatore and Josh Dunkley.

That midfield has fired the past two weeks and will need to do so the next two, with tough tasks to follow against the Geelong Cats and West Coast Eagles.

“It’s good for us to gain some momentum now and keep proving not only to ourselves but to everyone else that we are a formidable side,” Smith said.

“I’m looking forward to the weeks ahead.”

INDIGENOUS GUERNSEY AUCTION | Bid now on the Western Bulldogs' match worn guernseys from the 2020 Sir Doug Nicholls Round victory over Melbourne. Proceeds to Indigenous programming.