'He's an outstanding kid': Teenager on permit stars in senior debut

South Warrnambool under 18 player Hudson Owen lined up for the Bulldogs in the clash against Dennington and proved a point of difference as his side held on for a hard-fought 12-point win, 14.12 (96) 12.12 (84).

Bulldogs coach Adam Courtney said the talented youngster, who played due to the Hampden league's weekend bye, was going to be "a serious player for a long time at South".

Stationed on a wing, Owen showcased plenty of class on the inside and outside, according to the Bulldogs mentor.

"He has the connection through our vice-captain James Norton and I thought he was absolutely outstanding," he said.

"His commitment to the contest was terrific. He's only 17 but seriously tough, plays footy the right way.

"We let him have a free run, he looked so composed especially in his first game playing against men.

"He's an outstanding kid and I think we'll be seeing a lot of him at South Warrnambool in the future. Looks like a very good player.

"We're thankful to South Warrnambool for letting him play."

Courtney said it was really important to keep winning and building and believed those wins would help set their season up.

"I thought it was a really close contest, a really good game of footy," he said.

"We played some decent footy, capitalised when we got it forward and managed to hang on in the end. I think we were four or five goals up at about the 20-minute mark of the last and kicked a few late.

"We have to win those ones against sides in the middle part of the ladder. We let one slip last week and probably played well enough last week and today we were on the right end of the scoreboard."

Dennington coach Leigh Anderson said he was proud of the group's ability to fight back into the contest but lamented skill errors at crucial times.

"That third quarter hurt us, they kicked some unanswered goals and got a run on, from there it was a bit of a stretch for us," he said.

"The boys tried really hard and fought back into it, but we just butchered the ball too much."

Anderson said the group was learning week by week.

"Getting closer and closer is probably a new thing for the boys, but we would have been blown away in previous years so I'm proud of the fight," he said.

"The next couple of weeks are really important for us and hopefully we get a few back."

In the remaining match of the round in the Warrnambool and District league, Nirranda easily accounted for South Rovers by 107 points, 19.18 (132) to 4.1 (25).

The Blues kicked into gear after quarter time, kicking 15 goals to two with Jackson Couch (six goals) and Jack Primmer (five) starring up forward.