They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but Sydney Swans forwards coach Steve Johnson has had plenty to pass on to “young pup” Will Hayward on the road to 50 AFL games.

Hayward will underscore a rocketing start to his career when he runs out for his 50^th appearance in Sydney’s clash with the Gold Coast Suns at the SCG on Saturday afternoon.

The boy from Adelaide has raced to his half-century after signing with the Swans at the 2016 AFL Draft, and he’s slotted 61 goals in that time to place himself among the stars.

“He’s very inexperienced at 50 games but he’s got a very good record for someone who’s played as few games as he has,” Johnson told Swans Media.

“He sets really high expectations for himself every week and he’s disappointed if he plays a bad game. He’s one of those players who you don’t have to spend too much time trying to peg back; you almost have to spend more time on giving him the confidence and belief that if he’s working really hard he’s a tough match-up for the opposition.

“When he gets out on the track he’s extremely serious, he works really hard on his game and he’s got so many great attributes as a player. So he’s got a good balance between being able to have a bit of fun around the corridors and really getting stuck in to it when it comes to training.”

When Hayward slotted his 50^th AFL goal as Sydney toppled GWS in Round 22 last season, just 10 players in the game’s history had reached a half-century of majors at a younger age.

Along with names like Isaac Heeney, Callum Mills, Oliver Florent and Nick Blakey, Hayward is among a host of young stars emerging in red and white.

Hayward, Florent and Ben Ronke were among the eight-man draft class of 2016, and all three have since made a significant impact at AFL level.

As for the tag “young pup”, Johnson says it sums up Hayward to perfection.

“He’s a bit of a young pup that’s excited and has plenty of energy,” Johnson said.

“He loves to have a laugh with the boys, he loves to get involved with any kind of banter and he doesn’t mind sledging even myself as a coach, which is enjoyable. It’s good to have those types of players around.

“Him and Tom Papley are two of the guys who provide a lot of laughter and energy around the group. Sometimes I’m not even sure if they even know what they’re laughing at, but people are often laughing at them.”