WHEN Bulldogs pup Callan Ward meets with his fellow students at Williamstown High School on Tuesday to discuss their long weekends, he'll certainly have an interesting tale to share.

Ward debuted with the Bulldogs on Sunday against the Saints, just under two months after his 18th birthday and just over six months after he became the youngest player to be drafted by the club in the 2007 intake. 

His day started at 6.30am, when, too excited to sleep, the young gun woke and realised he was set to make his AFL debut. Then, it ended with his mum shedding tears of pride in the rooms following his 12-possession, one-goal game.

"It was really good; the boys were all around me and the crowd was really supportive," Ward said, after the match.

"When 'Gia' gave me my jumper before the game, it was fantastic, and then I was pretty happy with kicking the goal. If I had missed that, I would have been really shattered.

"I didn't know who to go to because there were so many guys around me giving me high-fives."

Ward could have filled a bay at Telstra Dome with the number of supporters he had in attendance. He named his parents, sisters, aunties and uncles as those present, as well as "50 or 60" of his closest school buddies.

And, it was a well-earned debut – and a Bulldogs' win to boot – they got to see. Ward has spent the last four months juggling a year 12 study load with the commitments of being an AFL footballer – and it's been a balancing act that left him surprised he got his opportunity this soon.

"Because I'm still doing school this year, I can't really train with the Bulldogs as much as I'd like to," he said.

"It's been hard because it's a full-time job here with football, and it's pretty much full-time at school with studying and homework.

"But I'm enjoying it."

Coach Rodney Eade was less surprised, however, that his youngest charge put his hand up for selection at the round 11 mark.

"I thought he might have been in before now; it's just unfortunate [for him] we haven't had too many injuries and the team's been playing pretty well," Eade said.

"He's rated pretty highly, and he's a tough young lad and can run.

"He showed today what he can do. He made a few errors, which young lads do, but once he adjusted to the pace of the game, there's no doubt he's going to be a good player."

And, further emphasising his maturity, Ward said while it was pleasing to make his debut and "get the first one out of the way", the team-orientated youngster said he was more satisfied with the overall result.

"The win is the main thing. I'd rather have the win than play the game, I reckon."