THERE'S an old adage that says, 'don't send a boy to do a man's job', but that certainly hasn't applied to Bulldog Lewis Young.

As the youngest player in the competition, Luke Beveridge has given the him some of the toughest assignments a defender can receive, and the 18-year-old has done a decent job living up to his coach's expectations.

Only draft eligible last year by 11 days, the South Australian has spent time manning established stars Tom Lynch, Jon Patton and Charlie Dixon in a challenging initiation to his AFL career.

But when he looks back at what he's achieved so far in his six-game career, the job of standing a boyhood hero is front of mind.

"It's a bit surreal growing up an Essendon fan and then standing Joe Daniher, because I'd followed him his whole career," Young told AFL.com.au.

"It's very hard to stop those types of players but it's more about doing your role then shut down those A-grade forwards.

"Not a lot of players can stop big Joey when he's up in the air, so just being able back yourself really helps."

While Daniher got the better of him and the Bulldogs defence with a six-goal haul in round 19, it's been those games where the backline has been under siege that Young has learnt the most.

After a round 17 debut against Carlton that was lauded due to a starring performance in place of suspended skipper Easton Wood, a month later an outing against Greater Western Sydney gave Young a stark reminder of just how tough League footy is. 

With the reigning premiers looking to establish themselves back in the top eight against arch rival Greater Western Sydney, a third-quarter nightmare saw Young concede several goals through turnovers in the 48-point loss.

Unperturbed, Young believes that's just solid grounding for what he hopes is long career in the red, white and blue.

"That was a hard game for me because I missed a few kicks here and there but I had the backing of the coaches at three-quarter time," Young said.

"As a team, we're always talking about turning defence into attack, so being able to move the ball quickly out of the backline is really important for us.

"Being able to back myself in after making a few mistakes is something you can't take for granted.

"It's been surprising game time in the senior side this year, but it's down to a lot of hard work and worked out well for me, so I'm really excited."

Standing the game's monster forwards wasn't in his thinking when he arrived at Whitten Oval with pick 49 in last year's NAB AFL Draft, as he expected to be kicking goals, not stopping them.

But with injuries and indifferent form hampering a premiership backline, Beveridge threw the South Australian back with promising results.

"I came to the club as a key forward, and spent most the pre-season learning that position, but then I went back early in the VFL season and the coaches liked what they saw," he said.

"So, Bevo wanted me to play in defence for the rest of the year because a few our defenders were dropping with injury.

"For the moment, I see myself as a defender but I also see myself as a swingman who can be called upon to forward when needed."