“IT’S been a great journey so far and it was a no-brainer to re-sign.”

For Sam Walsh, the decision to continue his career in the Old Dark Navy Blue was a simple one.

After all, following such a strong start to AFL life, there was no reason not to keep a good thing going.

In a memorable week for the young gun, Walsh followed his Round 4 NAB AFL Rising Star nomination by committing his future to the Club until at least the end of 2022.

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He’s bound to be a star. And until 2022, @sammy_walshy is officially #BoundByBlue.

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The seemingly unflappable youngster said he had been overwhelmed by the amount of support he and his teammates had received since arriving at the Club in November.

“The support from the fans has been amazing really,” he said.

“Since I got drafted, it has stood out — just how many Carlton supporters there are and how much pride they have in the Club.

“I’ve got a book about the Carlton history and I’ve been reading that, it makes you realise what you’re part of and the players and people that have come before.

“It’s a special club to be part of.”

Walsh has well and truly burst onto the scene at AFL level, becoming just the second player in history to collect 24 or more disposals in each of his first four games.

And with his first game, first goal (“the highlight so far”) and first Rising Star nomination in the bank, he’s got his sights set on singing the famous ‘Lily of Laguna’ for the first time soon.

The 18-year-old said to lock in his future at Ikon Park at such an early stage was something which he was thrilled with.

“The show of faith from the Club was amazing and I really appreciate that,” Walsh said.

“Pulling on the jumper each week for the Blues is amazing. You get to play alongside some great players for a historic club.”

From just his four games, Walsh has shown a glimpse into the future with his fellow midfielders, including Paddy Dow, Zac Fisher, Sam Petrevski-Seton, Will Setterfield and captain Patrick Cripps.

Walsh said he couldn’t wait to continue to build alongside an emerging midfield group: a prospect he described as “really exciting”.

“We can really build something special,” he said.

“We’re learning a lot from guys like ‘Murph’ and ‘Cripps’. If we can keep growing as a unit, we can really come up against the good midfields and play some really good footy.”