Lipinski kicked three goals from 15 possessions in the Western Bulldogs’ 21-point win over Carlton last Friday.

In his third game of AFL football, the 19-year-old looks to be finding his feet in the young Bulldogs outfit and, if given the chance, is looking forward to further cementing his spot in the best 22 with a good display in Ballarat.

Lipinski said Mars Stadium provided a great opportunity to create a “fortress”.

“I’m really excited to play in Ballarat, if I get the chance,” Lipinski said.

“I think it’ll be really good for us and hopefully in the future we can make it a bit of a fortress, like what Hawthorn’s done in Tasmania.

“The more we play there, the more we’re going to get used to the conditions. 

“When we’re versing teams that haven’t played there before we might have a little advantage.”

After playing the final game of the 2017 season, Lipinski admits it was a strange feeling getting a taste of the elite level and then having to wait 239 days for his next sitting – but the early signs promise that this will be an extended stint.

“I was rapt to get a game, whether that was one or 3-5.

“Often you get a chance to string a few games together when you debut...in that regard it was a bit annoying, but I was also fortunate to get a chance to play my first game.

“If we win we’ll go to 3-4 and get a little closer to evening the ledger, so hopefully we can get a couple of wins in a row and build some belief throughout the group.”

Meanwhile, Gold Coast has been dealt a cruel double injury blow which will leave it without its co-captains.

Star forward Tom Lynch will miss four weeks after his troublesome right knee flared up again, while defensive pillar Steven May is out with an infected finger.

May had minor surgery to repair a dislocation suffered a fortnight ago against Brisbane, with the wound becoming infected after the weekend. He will be reassessed next week, while star forward Lynch will be put in cotton wool until June.