Jasper Thomas: Gunnedah Bulldogs teen learns from his quality teammates

Among the Dog pack was Jaydon Stiles, the first-year Victorian import who kicks goals and moves across the field like someone who was given a footy instead of a rattle.

Born into AFL and then honed as a player good enough to be offered a coaching-playing job at the Macorna Tigers, in the Golden Rivers Football League, Stiles kicked a match-high 11 goals in the 105-point defeat of the Swans.

Thomas was born into rugby league and rugby union, playing for the Bulldogs' under-18 league side before joining the Bulldogs' AFL side in 2018.

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Leader sports journalist and Swans defender Ben Jaffrey said the 19-year-old's improvement from 2018 to now was quite dramatic.

The teen is marrying that enhanced footy IQ with a natural athletic ability highlighted by speed.

Against the Swans, he started on the half-back line - a new position for him, before shifting to the wing - an old position.

Thomas said having Stiles and the other new Victorian recruits in the side this season, including the lethal Josh Chiavaroli, had helped elevate his game.

Through their exploits he has seen different ways to attack the ball and learned to "hold back" when required. Basically, "just better ways to play the game", he said.

"You can always work on what you've got," he added. "It's obviously good having all these boys around, because you learn a lot every training session."

Gunnedah remained unbeaten and untested this season, the final score against the second-placed Swans 20.18 (138) to 4.9 (33).

Thomas said the Bulldogs' team work was the most pleasing aspect of their performance.

"As long as we do what we did in that fourth quarter for the whole game, we'll be laughing," he said. (Gunnedah kicked eight goals in the final term.)

In the women's match, the ladder-leading Bulldogs stretched their winning sequence to five matches with a 6.5 (41) to 5.2 (32) defeat of the Swans.