When you think of the number five Guernsey at the Western Bulldogs, two names that immediately come to mind are Rohan Smith and Matthew Boyd.

However both players started their careers at Whitten Oval with very different digits on their back.

“We both didn’t start with number five,” Smith said last week on the premiere episode of BulldogsTV’s 'Guardians of the Guernsey,'  

“And beforehand you were the greatest number 42 to ever play for this Club,” Smith told Boyd.

“Until Picko [Liam Picken] took over,” laughed Boyd in reply.

A series exclusive to BulldogsTV, 'Guardians of the Guernsey' pairs current players with former champions who wore the same number throughout the course of their career, to swap stories and talk about the special bond the two of them have developed.

“After you [Smith] hung the boots up and put the [number five] jumper back on the shelf, you were kind enough to hand it over to me, which was a great privilege,” Boyd said.

There’s a certain attachment to your first number, but according to Boyd, when a Club great like Rohan Smith offers you his number you take it.

“When I first started and got 42 I thought, I want to stick with this my whole career and make it my own and go from the start to the finish in that jumper.

“But having played with a guy who took the young guys in when I first came to the Club, and was a shining example to all of us and asked me if I wanted number five, it was a no-brainer really, I couldn’t really say no.

“It was a great privilege and a great honour and I love wearing it now.”