The Collingwood runner approached Matthew Goodyear during Saturday’s NAB Challenge game in Wagga Wagga and told the 19-year-old to step into the midfield.

This wasn’t a problem. Goodyear is a natural midfielder who was known for being a prolific ball winner in the TAC Cup for the Calder Cannons just two years ago.

The daunting thing was the man he was about to line up on. As Goodyear approached the centre square he found North Melbourne star Jack Ziebell waiting.

“The first time I went into the middle I was going up against Ziebell and I thought ‘geez he’s a big boy’,” Goodyear told Collingwood Media post match.

Ziebell only stood three centimetres taller than Goodyear, but with seven seasons of AFL experience under his belt, the Kangaroos midfielder outweighed his young Collingwood opponent by 11 kilograms.

However after his second pre-season with the Magpies, Goodyear refused to be overwhelmed by the intimidating task at hand.

“I’ve been training with the boys for a while now so it was just good to get out on the park with them,” he said.

“I loved every second of it and it’s a step forward in the right direction for me.”

PROFILE - Everything you need to know about Matthew Goodyear

Goodyear rotated through the forwardline and the midfield, winning 13 disposals and kicking a goal in his debut performance.

His time in the middle resulted in two clearances, while he also put his body on the line and laid four tackles in the hot Wagga Wagga conditions.

While the 185cm midfielder said the day in country NSW was the “hottest day I’ve ever played footy”, he believes the pace of AFL football was what truly caught him by surprise.

“It’s probably just the efficiency of the AFL,” he said.

“The ball goes from one end to the next without any dramas.

“There was a lot of transition running, so that was probably the big difference.”

Goodyear watched closely as a number of his fellow draftees made their debuts. Jordan De Goey was first, before being followed by Brayden Maynard and Darcy Moore.

The 48th pick in the 2014 draft got close. He was named as an emergency in round 23 and watched on from the sidelines as the Magpies were defeated by Essendon by three points in the final round of the season.

While happy for his peers, watching them succeed has given Goodyear a fire to do the same.

“They worked really hard and deserved it and to keep their spot in the team from there was great,” he said.

“I was really happy for them but I’m pretty eager to get out there and play my role for the team.”

After 16 games for the VFL Magpies last season, 2016 could be the year Goodyear establishes himself as a valued member of Collingwood’s emerging midfield brigade.

VIDEO: Goodyear's first goal