Almost two years to the day since making his debut against the Western Bulldogs as a substitute, Alex Sexton could well fill that role again when the Gold Coast SUNS host the Bulldogs on Sunday.

Sexton made his return to the senior side against St Kilda last Sunday and started in the green vest, but came on to the field when Sean Lemmens was taken out with a corked calf. The Queenslander was active and finished with six touches and four marks in limited game time.

While he wants to secure a starting spot in the long-term, the 20-year-old admits he’ll do what he can as a substitute to keep his spot at AFL level.

“I was happy to be sub, playing my role for the team, and I’m just happy to be back in the seniors,” Sexton said.

“I debuted as a sub, funnily enough, two years ago up in Darwin. So I’ve had experience doing it.

“You’ve just go to stay calm. You can be pretty anxious to get on, pretty up and about, so the message is to just stay calm and be ready for your shot cause it could come.”

That debut was in a 72-34 loss to the Bulldogs in the Northern Territory. That game featured veterans Matthew Boyd, Ryan Griffen and Robert Murphy, who still lead the men from Melbourne’s west, but now an exciting batch of youngsters, including the likes of Tom Liberatore and Jackson Macrae, has stamped itself as the future of the club.

“It was overwhelming my first game,” Sexton said.

“I’ve had a few under my belt now. I’m pretty excited to play the Bulldogs. It was a pretty special moment for me debuting against them.

“They are an exciting club like ours. They do have them young players that are just excelling this year.They do have them older blokes who are just dominating as well. So, they’ve got a mixture like us and it’s going to be a good contest, I think.”