Peel football product strutting his stuff on the big stage

The young Western Bulldogs gun has become one of his side's most important players and showed his value with a whopping five-goal haul leading the squad to a 15.9 (99) to 7.10 (52) win over the Tigers.

The Rockingham junior was terrific bouncing back from a quiet performance against Fremantle the week before, collecting 16 disposals, hauling in 14 marks and snaring five goals as he took control of the contest to deliver a win for the Dogs.

Naughton also almost broke the record for contested marks in a game as he plucked nine for the night, finishing one shy of North Melbourne legend Wayne Carey, and was nominated for Mark of the Year after taking a spectacular hang.

It's a performance that officially puts the former Peel Thunder player on the map (if he wasn't already), and sends a message to opposition teams that stopping Naughton must now be a priority.

The feat is made more impressive given the versatile swingman was drafted as a defender.

"I haven't spent much time up forward," Naughton said after the match.

"The journey is only starting up there. The more games I play, the more I'll learn.

"I'm not too sure if I prefer it. I'm still more comfortable down back, because I know a little bit more, but it's definitely something that I'd like to grow in my game."

The 19-year-old also earned some high and somewhat unusual praise from opposition coach Damien Hardwick.

"We could've had Jesus Christ playing down there tonight and I reckon he would've struggled on him," Hardwick said in post-game press conference.

The challenge for Naughton, who finished fourth in the Bulldogs' best and fairest voting last season, is now to sustain his high level of play which will surely attract some of the league's better defenders.

Fortunately, he will line up against a Brisbane outfit missing their number one back in Harris Andrews next week, but a tough test against the number-one ranked defence in Geelong looms in round nine.