HENTY footballer Harrison Macreadie described his AFL debut as ‘awesome’ despite Carlton’s 43-point loss to Richmond in Thursday night’s season opener.
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Macreadie was a late call-up into the Carlton team on Thursday, coming into the side at the last minute for Jed Lamb.
Just four months after being picked up by the Blues in the AFL Draft, Macreadie found himself running out onto the MCG in front of 73,000 fans.
“It was awesome,” Macreadie told the Carlton website after the game.
“I was pretty calm throughout the day and then driving into the MCG, the nerves started to build in a bit more. In the warm up, it kept increasing but when I got onto the ground, it just dropped, which was really good and all the boys got around me, which was even better.
“It was a great experience and one I will remember for a long time.”
Macreadie, 18, played in defence for the Blues and had six dispoals and took one mark.
He said he received comforting advice from the likes of Kade Simpson and Sam Docherty that helped make him feel at home.
“They just told me to play my natural game and just go for it, because you could only have one crack at it,” he said.
Despite Carlon’s loss, Macreadie said he learnt a lot from his debut outing.
“I definitely did. It was a big learning experience, coming to the MCG with 80,000, it was awesome,” he said.
“I’ll just go back to the club, get the feedback and hopefully move on and improve.”