LUCKILY for North Melbourne defender Gavin Urquhart, he didn’t get too close to star Brisbane Lions midfielder Simon Black last week.

If he had, he might not have known whether to tackle him or throw his autograph book at him.

Black was dominant in the Lions’ 31-point win over the Kangaroos and Urquhart, a Queenslander who grew up barracking for the Lions, admitted to the thrill of being on the same field as one of his teenage heroes.

“Michael Voss and Simon Black were my heroes back then,” Urquhart said of his earlier days, growing up in Brisbane and Rockhampton.

“I liked Voss, just the way he went about his football and stuff. And Simon Black as well, just with his skills.

“I followed those two a lot.”

While Urquhart will remember his first AFL match with a tinge of sadness given last week’s result, Kangaroo fans might also have finished the night knowing they had seen something special.

Few youngsters make the transition to senior footy with the poise Urquhart showed, his 21-possession game was one bright spark on an otherwise disappointing night for Dean Laidley’s men.

Opposed to the likes of livewires Lions Rhan Hooper and Scott Harding – whom he knew from underage representative football in Queensland – the 20-year-old looked at ease across half-back.

He admitted a few calming words from more experienced teammates pre-match had helped prepare him for his debut performance.

“Going into it I was fairly nervous but Daniel Pratt, he gave me a bit of advice,” Urquhart said.

“He just told me to do my job and keep it pretty simple.

“Adam Simpson gave me a bit of a talk as well … he just said, ‘take it all in, have a look around’.

“I was pretty nervous at the start, the ball was zinging around pretty fast but after I got a few touches I felt a bit more comfortable and a bit more in place.

“To get 21 touches was a bit of a dream debut. I felt pretty good out there.

“There’s still a few things I need to fix up but they’ll come as I go along and hopefully I get another game.”

Urquhart doesn’t need to worry about that, with the highly-skilled defender set to play the second game of his career, this time against reigning premier Geelong, on Friday night.

Telstra Dome, the venue for the clash against the Cats, and Arden Street where he spends most of his week now, is a far cry from where the quietly-spoken Urquhart spent all of his junior days.

Although upon being drafted to North, the gifted midfielder was ready for what awaited in football-mad Melbourne.

“I had a little bit of an idea because Dad [Jim] was in the under-19 Essendon side, back in the day,” Urquhart said.

“He gave me a bit of idea of what goes on inside a footy club.

“He’s helped me out through my whole career, giving me advice on how to kick and stuff like that.

“It was great to actually make my debut in my home state last week. I had my family and friends come along and watch as well.”

If his debut match was anything to go by, there looks to be plenty of games in the North Melbourne jumper ahead.