On Saturday as the Bulldogs came from a 15-3 half-time deficit to defeat Dubbo Kangaroos 30-15, it made it five wins in a row.

The comeback was sparked by one of Bulldogs’ longest serving players – flyhalf Scott Johnston – who bullied his way over following an attacking line-out.

He was also the player trying to keep Bulldogs calm after Chris Plunkett was yellow carded late in the second half and his side was under pressure to keep the lead.

“Scotty, he was great,” Bulldogs co-coach Nathan Pearce said.

“He actually had a word to them down here when Dubbo scored [in the first half], then he had a good chat at the start of half-time. He really summed it up well, I didn’t have to do much coaching.”

But just as Johnson’s effort caught the eye of the coach, so too did those of some younger Bulldogs. It will no doubt making picking a first XV a tough task as the season unfolds.

“There was some really good efforts there from the young guys. Adam Plummer, for a guy who still a colts aged player, he’s doing some impressive stuff with the big guys, snuffing out opportunities,” Pearce said.

“Dylan Carter, he hurt his shoulder in that game, but he was great.

“We’ll have some selection issues, we’ve got Alex Weal back, Semsi Langi, he backed up from second grade and is going to put pressure on, and I believe Izaak Breen will be good for about 40 minutes this weekend too.”