By Michael Whiting

With nine matches in the centre square together, Gold Coast SUNS No.1 draft pick David Swallow thinks his combination with Gary Ablett is now coming along nicely.

At the start of the season, one of coach Guy McKenna's laments was the lack of pre-season time Swallow had spent on the field with his superstar skipper.

Ablett went into the GC SUNS opening match against Carlton in round two without a pre-season match under his belt following off-season hamstring problems.

Individually, Ablett and Swallow were doing their jobs in the early rounds, but the chemistry wasn't quite there.

Neither knew where the other one was going, who was blocking for who or who was hunting the ball.

But now Swallow - who will return against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday after missing last week with an ankle injury - said things were changing.

"Definitely the bond is getting there, just knowing where he runs to and how he sets up at stoppages, we're definitely getting better," he said.

"The more time we have together hopefully the better we'll get.

"He's the ultimate professional. He's an absolute freak on the field. He's averaged 30-35 touches a game I think. The way he goes about it in all aspects of his life is outstanding."

The 18-year-old has been a model of consistency in his first season, averaging 18 disposals per match and playing a blistering fourth quarter to help inspire the GC SUNS to their first win against Port Adelaide in round five.

He said he felt his form was "OK" but would like to get more of the footy in the second half of the season.

"I've tried to match-up on one of the other quality midfielders from the other sides, to try and learn and see how they play, and it's been a good experience the first 10 games, learning off the best players in the competition," he said.

Swallow also showed he has a sense of humour when talking to reporters on Thursday.

When quizzed by a television journalist on whether there was any unrest in the GC SUNS camp about Ablett spending time in Melbourne to see his family, Swallow said: "Definitely not. Every player is told to see their family and you can't help the ash cloud stopping you from coming back. If Gary could move them (the clouds) I'm sure he would, but he can't."

On a more serious note, he said the Bulldogs would be tough to defeat on Saturday despite their indifferent form.

"They've got a lot of quality midfielders - (Ryan) Griffen, (Adam) Cooney, (Matthew) Boyd, (Daniel) Cross, and a lot of young players starting to contribute so it's definitely going to be a tough week," he said.

"The boys have been improving each week and if we can stop their runners like Griffen and Cooney then maybe we can get a win."