Game one can understandably be a pretty intimidating experience for any AFL player, but Tristan Xerri was keen to make his presence felt.

You only need to look at Xerri’s hit on Tom Scully in the third quarter to see that.

As the Hawks’ midfielder streamed down the wing, North's debutant emerged from nowhere, laying a big tackle.

“A big part of my game is to provide a physical presence out there, and if I can bring that and help my midfielders out, that’d be great,” Xerri told North Media.

“All the lads get around me when I do that.

“Just bringing that physical pressure ... I like to bring that on game day.”

A lifelong Roos’ supporter, Xerri finally lived his dream of pulling on the royal blue and white.

The 201-centimetre big man provided a solid presence all day in attack, and capped off his first game with a memorable goal.

“Everyone talks about how fast the AFL is compared to the VFL, and there’s no doubt about that,” Xerri said.

“I just noticed that on turnover you just get punished at that level. It was pretty surreal.”

Watch the full Xerri interview below.