LUKE Dahlhaus has embraced his status as the Western Bulldogs' latest cult figure, revealing that he feeds off the excitement of Dogs fans.
Dahlhaus, 19, was one of the few great stories to emerge from Whitten Oval during a disappointing 2011 season.
The dreadlocked small forward came from nowhere.
The former Geelong Falcons under-18 player was initially rookie-listed by the Bulldogs and was still playing VFL reserves football with Williamstown as late as May before making his presence felt with 11 goals in 11 AFL games.
A combination of factors - his eye-catching, take-'em-on style, his bubbly personality, his role as junior member ambassador for Dahlhaus Clubhouse, and of course those 'dreads' - has seen Dahlhaus's profile elevated even further as he enters just his second season.
To become a Dahlhaus Clubhouse Member and join the Western Front, Click here.
The 178cm and 78kg livewire cops some ribbing from his teammates over becoming one of the faces of the club, but says he deals with the added spotlight by simply concentrating on footy. However, he admits he still enjoys the attention.
"It's a little bit of pressure … (but) I wouldn’t really say it's too much," he told reporters art Whitten Oval on Tuesday morning.
"It's more a good thing, I think, when you’re out there and you hear the crowd roaring every time you get the ball … it gets you up for games and just gets you excited. I love it."
Dahlhaus generated plenty of excitement on Sunday night during the win against Carlton, slotting two goals and always appearing dangerous with his speed and creativity.
On several occasions when he won possession forward of the centre and outside scoring range, there were few or no options between him and the goals, but Dahlhaus managed to make the right decisions: either offloading a deftly-weighted pass to set up a scoring chance for a teammate or, as he did so sublimely in the third term, going on a turbo-charged, weaving run to goal himself.
"It's a bit scary when you get the ball and you've just got grass in front of you, especially when you've got (Chris) Yarran behind you chasing you," he said.
"I hope I made a few good decisions. It's good to get a bit of space to run into."
Teammate Easton Wood, who joined Dahlhaus at the press conference, said Dahlhaus had been in superb form all pre-season.
"'Dal' has been lighting up the track - he's in flying form," Wood said.
"I think he'll take some big strides. I've played on him a fair bit in the pre-season and tested him out a couple of times. He's looking good."
Wood has also enjoyed a strong pre-season and, like Dahlhaus, appears set for a breakout season. The 22-year-old, who has played 28 matches in four seasons, is optimistic but cautious.
"That was the same case as last season and I dislocated my ankle in round one," Wood said. "I'm just happy at the moment how things are tracking."
