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He may be sidelined with a shoulder injury but boom Gold Coast youngster Matt Rowell is still helping the AFL team, from the coach's box.

Not even a bung shoulder can stop Gold Coast young gun Matt Rowell from making the rest of us look a bit average.

Having gone from AFL debutant to Brownlow Medal contender in the space of a handful of matches, the 19-year-old has been busy since undergoing surgery on the shoulder he dislocated against Geelong earlier this month.

While in camp with his Suns' teammates in Sydney over the past fortnight, Rowell showed off his adaptability by teaching himself to play table tennis left-handed.

He's also helping out the Suns' coaching staff and not just as the intern taking head coach Stuart Dew's coffee orders.

"We're going to keep him busy with our opposition analysis, keep him involved with the mids because the way he sees the game is really impressive and he's got a lot to add," Dew said.

"Although we'd love him to be on the field, we know he's going to be back, but he's still going to impact the side."

Rowell's midfield analysis had better be good, with the Suns set to face the Western Bulldogs in the clubs' first standalone AFL fixture at Metricon Stadium on Thursday.

The Bulldogs' midfield showed plenty of speed and pressure during their big win over Essendon last weekend, and while Dew is thrilled for his club to be on centre-stage, he's aware they've got a tough opponent standing in their way.

"As a club clearly we'll promote the fact that it's a great opportunity and a first, because we've talked earlier in the year about trying to write our own story and we hope that this is another small part of it," Dew said.

"But internally it's a game against a really strong footy club that's in fantastic form."