Scott Wynd also won the Western Bulldogs' best and fairest, as well as being named All-Australian, that year and almost a quarter a century later he came across the youngster while coaching at Assumption College.

"I remember seeing Jake in year nine, he and another kid called Jack O'Sullivan, they were the two standouts, along with a kid called Josh Schache (current Western Bulldogs big man), he went alright as well," the ex-Bulldogs captain recalled.

"Jake stood out with his run and carry of the ball, he had really good skills.

"The following year in year 10 he was playing against bigger bodies and it took him a while to adjust to that, but he was the guy who, when he wanted to, had the ball on a string."

Lavington was relatively quiet in the recruiting stakes over summer, particularly compared with a handful of clubs.

However, the Panthers knew the Bendigo Football League representative had talent and he showed that in the opening games.

"I started the season pretty well, then had a couple of quiet weeks, but I'm starting to get back into it now," he suggested.

"I've been able to spend a bit more time up forward the last couple of weeks, which is nice.

"We've had stronger sides, which gives us more midfield depth, so it allows me to spend more time forward."

During the first seven rounds, the 24-year-old played predominantly in the midfield, but it's been a 50-50 split with the forward line in the last three rounds.

It's a position he knows well.

"Jake and Mitch Lewis, who's now at Hawthorn, were our outstanding forwards, Jake would float through the midfield in year 11, but at half-forward, he was one of the standouts in our side with his skill and just finding the footy," Wynd remembered.

"The way he played then, not having seen him for a long time, he was that Leon Cameron-type (ex-Western Bulldogs-Richmond), the run and carry, good skills on both sides, that link player, he was one of our best in our premiership year (at the famous AFL nursery)."

Lavington hosts the league's hottest team on Saturday in Yarrawonga, which ended Wangaratta's unbeaten run.

The Panthers sit a win outside the top five and, if results go as expected over the split round, will be two wins out.

"It's a massive game for us, the experienced boys like Brant Dickson and Adam Butler, they always tell us, 'this is why we play footy, to play against the best sides'.

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"They just came over the top of us in the last minutes."

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