Richmond coach Adem Yze was full of praise of his young contingent after upsetting Carlton on Thursday at the MCG by 13 points.
Yze confirmed earlier in the week that three of last year's draft crop would don the yellow and black for the first time, headlined by prized Pick 1 Sam Lalor.
A highly-touted midfield-forward who reminded Richmond fans of a young Dustin Martin, Lalor entered the AFL with the highest of expectations, and delivered immediately.
The Victorian - who fractured his jaw a month ago and entered concussion protocols - put any doubts placed on him after gathering 18 disposals, eight score involvements, two goals and two goal assists.
"That's why he's a talented kid and he'll just get better, but that's what he does. When the ball's in his area, he knows how to play and he knows how to win and he knows how to fight," Yze said.
"Who would have thought a few weeks ago โ he was getting surgery on his jaw, and now he's having a win on the MCG.
"Harry Armstrong, he'll get better. He's not going to be a superstar by his fourth game. So we got to fast-track the development of our young players.
"[It's a] great opportunity for our footy club to celebrate with their families and it's just one step along that journey."
Lalor's efforts were matched by fellow first-gamers Harry Armstrong (five touches, score involvements and one goal assist) and Luke Trainor (15 possessions, five marks, four intercept possessions and two tackles).
"The spirit and energy of our young boys, to keep fighting, was really pleasing," Yze said of the second-half turnaround.
"You get a lot of belief in the things that've been training. We've trained a lot around our system, our method, but a lot around our mental mastery. So for our players, a young group, they've got to learn how to deal with momentum.
"That was almost the most pleasing part of the game, not letting that scoreboard impact the way that we wanted to play. For them to reset and go back to their anchors and get back out there and execute."
Putting aside the performances of the debutants, Yze didn't fail to mention the remaining young contingent who took their game to new levels over the pre-season.
Small forward duo Rhyan Mansell and Seth Campbell were instrumental in reviving the Tigers as they completed a 54-point turnaround.
The pair combined for three goals but provided immense pressure, which led to multiple scoring opportunities.
Jack Ross - who has been shunted by injury in the past few seasons - was arguably best afield, kicking two goals from 28 touches and seven clearances, while Thomson Dow's toughness at the contest was noticeable.
Ben Miller and Jacob Blight kept Harry McKay to one goal on the night as winners appeared all over the ground, wearing the yellow and black.
However, Yze is under no illusion that consistency will be his biggest detractor in season 2025, understanding that coaching a young side will see fluctuations in performance.
"We're starting a journey with a young list," Yze said.
"To be fair, we're going to have bumps in the road and we spoke about this going into the game. We're going to have fluctuations in form. We'll have that throughout the season.
"But the main thing is, that I'll preach, is that the part of our game that can't waver is our spirit and energy."
