Josh Williams had a feeling today could be his day. After being an emergency on a few occasions, he watched Robbie Tarrant like a hawk in the rooms in the lead up to North’s clash with Essendon at Etihad Stadium.

With under 40 minutes left until the start of the game, his dream became a reality when Tarrant was pulled out with a sore back.

“It was probably a good way to have it, I didn’t have to think about it too much,” Williams told The Herald Sun.

“Some guys get told early in the week and have lots of sleepless nights, but I just got straight into it.

“They told me to be on standby … I quickly got changed, got my ankles taped, had a bit of treatment, got the boots on and did a bit of a warm up out there.”

With his family watching from Townsville, the 19-year-old had the perfect start with a goal from his very first kick.

“It just came to me, I was in an alright position to intercept,” he said.

“To be honest, it all went so quickly that all I tried to do was think back to training and my set routine.

“It’s pretty crazy isn’t it? First kick, first goal.

“The first quarter was pretty intense, I was buggered after the first five minutes.

“But then I soon settled in and found my way.”

Williams was North’s tenth debutant of the season and one of 12 joeys with less than 50 games of experience. He had seven kicks, seven handballs and six marks.

“You’ve got to earn the respect of the boys and I hope I’ve done that today,” he added 

“I think the side we had out there today played really well.”