Sykes stepped up to the coaching role, alongside Mark Carroll, for the first time after serving as assistant under Truman Carroll last year.

Off the field, he and partner Tiana welcomed their first child, Archie, six weeks ago.

It has been a big year for the 24-year-old but he has loved every moment.

"It's been a pretty good year, surprisingly, with such a young group of boys coming through," Sykes said.

"They have definitely excelled and they're development throughout the year has been really, really good."

Turvey Park head into Saturday's final round clash against Narrandera at Maher Oval in sixth position on the Riverina League ladder.

They sit two games outside the five, so finals is out of the question but victory against the Eagles will give the young Bulldogs three straight wins to finish the year.

Sykes, who along with Carroll are already re-signed for next year, is happy with how Turvey Park is building.

"Absolutely. We've always been thereabouts," he said.

"Unfortunately we've come up a bit short in a few rounds.

"We've really finished the year off strong and there's plenty of belief within the young kids for next year.

"There's been a bit of reward for effort at the back end of the year."

While many first year coaches struggle to balance the role with on-field performance, that has not been an issue for Sykes.

Along with Nathan Byrne, Sykes has been a standout for Turvey Park this year, leading from the front in the midfield. He said having Carroll as a co-coach has been a big help there.

"It's been a bit different but obviously having Curl there, who has a lot of experience, has been really good," he said.

"It's definitely been an eye opener, the leadership role with the footy club but I've found it really good.

"Having Curl there doing most of the stuff on the bench allows me to concentrate on leadership on-field and leading by example. And if I can lead the way on the field, it helps the young boys come with me."

Sykes hopes Turvey Park can continue their strong finish to the year with a win over Narrandera.

"I'm confident but it's going to be another challenge for us, no doubt," he said.

"Narrandera are in the same boat as us, they're not playing finals so they will be up and about to try and finish the season off with a win as well. It's a big game for us but if we stick to what we've been doing the last two weeks then there is no reason why we can't come away with the win."

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