Josh Chiavaroli recently relocated to Gunnedah and "glided" across Wolseley Oval at Bulldogs training, prompting Dogs president Hamish Russell to declare: "We're expecting massive things out of him this season."
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"He just can play football," Russell said. "He just glides across the field, and just everyone of his kicks lands on the tip - spot on."
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In Chiavaroli, Gunnedah have been gifted a 22-year-old ruck rover from Gippsland, Victoria, who played for the Poowong Magpies in the Ellinbank and District Football League.
He made his senior debut at age 16, and regularly played for the EDFL's senior rep side.
Work brought him to Gunnedah (he is an Elders cattle and livestock agent), and for a long time he worked hard to play in the AFL.
But eventually he decided that the enjoyment of playing with his mates exceeded the dedication it took to shoot for the top, saying that the "more serious side takes a bit of fun out of it".
"I gave it [the AFL] a red-hot crack for a while there. But it comes to a point in your life where you have to choose the dream or getting a full-time job."
Chiavaroli lobbed in Gunnedah not knowing that town had an AFL club.
So it is debatable as to who was more surprised: him over the town not only having an AFL club but being the reigning premiers and on the ascent (they introduced women's and under-14 sides this season), or the Bulldogs over getting such an unexpected gift.
"I just basically come up and had a bit of a sniff around once I was here, and I was quite surprised, because I knew this was a very rugby-dominate area. So I was very surprised when I saw the AFL side.
"So I waltzed up to training and said g'day to [coach] Doug [Meagher] and the boys and went from there."
Chiavaroli looked sharp in Gunnedah's opening round defeat of the Swans at Wolseley Oval last weekend, with the Dogs set to face Inverell at home on Saturday.
Meagher is also a former country Victorian who landed in Gunnedah for work, and has been certified gold for the club - steering them to the title in 2019, in his debut season in charge.
"Doug has a great understanding of the game," Chiavaroli said, "and he's got a lot of good styles and plans that I think he's gonna bring to the boys as the year goes on.
"As the year goes on, and their footy smarts get better, I think Doug's game plans will come into play a lot more, and we should get a leg-up over the competition eventually."
The promotion of women's AFL in the region has impressed Chiavaroli. "Back home it's not like that. It's definitely an exciting area to be in for AFL."
