Facing the prospect of an AFL debut can be daunting for any young footballer, but imagine being told you'll be playing just 40 minutes before running out.

That was the scenario for Josh Williams when Robbie Tarrant was a late withdrawal in Round 18.

“Getting a call up only 40 minutes before the game was a bit tough, but I wouldn’t go about it any other way,” Williams told NMFC.com.au.

Within minutes of running out with the North team, the shock of a debut took another amazing turn.

Williams kicked his first goal with his first kick in AFL football.

“I just went back and thought I have to kick this and put it straight through the middle,” he said.

“I don’t think you can describe it until you’ve actually felt it.  It’s one of those special things that you have to experience and you can’t compare to anything else.”

Williams has impressed with the speed of his development since arriving at the club via the 2016 National Draft, earning his debut off the back of hard work and commitment to his craft.

“A first-year season is normally pretty tough and pretty demanding,” Williams said.

“You’ve never really experienced anything so physical and demanding like that in your life.”

Despite impressing in the VFL with his exciting brand of football, Williams admits he prefers the pace of the AFL over the contested style of play at the lower level.

“I definitely think I’m more suited to AFL, purely because of how much more open it is and how much quicker it is,” Williams continued.

“You talk about how fast the game of AFL is now, compared to anything else - getting up on the outside, creating space - is something I’ll be able to do a lot easier at AFL level.”

Having overcome the initial hurdle of getting an AFL game, Williams is already looking towards the pre-season, and he’s not shying away from the hard work to come.

“The big thing for me will be getting a lot fitter,” he said.

“I want to be one of the fittest at the club.  Over the off-season, I want to really try and get as fit as I can and try and show off my ability with my pace a lot more.

“My first two games, I felt like I fit in pretty well.  There weren’t too many occasions where I felt overwhelmed, for sure.

“I definitely think that the more AFL games I play, the more I’ll suit the game.”