He arrived at Jack Woolaston Oval in advance of the Dungowan Cowboys under 18s' first match of the season against the North Tamworth Bears.

As he was preparing for the game, he got some news from coach Damien Allan.

"Damo [told me that I was captain] today," Hamlin said.

"I wasn't really expecting it. He basically just said me and [Braydon Allan, Hamlin's co-captain] will lead from the front."

While it is his first time leading his local side, Hamlin is fresh from high-level captaincy experience with the Greater Northern Tigers under 18s.

The 18-year-old Tamworth resident led the Tigers to the Laurie Daley Cup grand final against the Monaro Colts last month, and said the experience helped him feel more at ease in the same role for the Cowboys.

Under Hamlin and Allan's leadership, Dungowan - who won by forfeit over the Moree Boars in round one - secured a 32-10 victory over the returning North Tamworth Bears at Jack Woolaston Oval on Saturday morning.

It was in no small part due to the halfback's four-try haul, with which he was "pretty happy".

"We got off to a slow start with a few errors, but it picked up in the end there when we found our rhythm," Hamlin said.

As far as the coach was concerned, the result was less important than just getting his players time on the field.

The Cowboys under 18s side only finalised its roster quite late in the preseason, and Sunday was the first chance Allan had to see them all in action.

"It's a pretty good side," he said.

"We kept our cool most times, it's just a matter of getting those combinations right. We did that occasionally, but it's our first game. I'm still trying to understand where the boys are coming from and the way they play."

With three years of experience playing Northern Tigers squads, and the same amount of time spent in the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs program, Hamlin hopes he can use his own breadth of experience in high-level systems to the team's benefit.

"It gives you a lot of confidence to lead the team and show them by actions, not words," he said.

"It's good experience. The intensity is way higher, and they're just a good bunch of boys. It's good [knowledge] to bring back."

In addition to his captaincy and representative responsibilities, Hamlin is also in the midst of his Year 12 studies at Farrer.

Juggling his various duties this year will be "a lot", but Hamlin's answer was immediate when asked if he could manage it.

"100 per cent."