Sydney Swans young gun Tom Mitchell could not have asked for a better start to his AFL career.

Not only did the 20-year-old notch up his first win in the red and the white in Saturday evening’s 44-point win over Essendon, he did it in emphatic fashion, collecting 18 disposals and kicking 1.2 – all in just under three quarters.

Speaking to SwansTV after the match, the father-son recruit said nothing compared to his first few moments out on the SCG in front of a packed crowd.

“There is nothing like being out there,” he said.

“The crowd was really loud sometimes and there is nothing like it, and I’m just happy to have been a part of it.”

After starting the match as the Swans’ substitute, Mitchell’s time came sooner than expected, when forward Tommy Walsh was subbed out of the game early in the second term with a left hamstring injury.

The young midfielder said he knew he had to make the most of his opportunities as soon as his took off the green vest.

“Starting in the vest is sort of a tough one for anyone who plays in it,” Mitchell said.

“You just want to keep warm and stay involved in the game as much as you can and I was able to get involved in the game a little earlier.

“When I saw Tommy Walsh go down, as disappointing as it was, I just wanted to try and take an opportunity and just play my role for the team.

“It was such a great experience and I’m just really happy we got a win against a good side like Essendon; it was a good win.”

In addition to his ball-winning ability, Mitchell also demonstrated his toughness on field, collecting a team-high six tackles, alongside co-captain Kieren Jack and Lewis Jetta, and also added another game-high three goal assists.

After studying the Swans’style of football leading into his debut, the first-gamer said he knew how important his pressure acts would be for the team.

“As a team we put a lot of focus on trying to put pressure on the opposition and creating turnovers,” Mitchell said.

“I was sort of playing a half-forward role today so I just wanted to try and get those half-forward pressure acts as much as I could.

“I think it was a whole team effort because everyone pressured really well today and that’s probably the reason we got the win here.”

Mitchell’s efforts in his first match were one of a number of strong performances in the Swans win, with the experienced campaigners Jarrad McVeigh, Josh Kennedy, Nick Malceski and Adam Goodes also producing brilliant games.

Co-captain McVeigh was outstanding off half-back with 34 disposals, while Kennedy was at his very best with 37 touches for the match.

Goodes set the crowd alight on many occasions and contributed four goals, while defender Malceski also continued his top form, finishing the game with 28 disposals and two goals.

Speaking from the rooms after the match, Malceski told SwansTV that the team was thrilled to continue their winning form.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game tonight and we just wanted it to be competitive and it was and we got the four points,” he said.

“We’re just taking it week by week. We had a good win last week and we backed it up tonight.”

Malceski said the Swans will now turn their focus to next week’s clash with Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

“We’ve got Adelaide next week, which is going to be a tough game over there and we’ve just got to prepare well,” he said.

“It was a great team effort tonight and everyone had a real crack, but we’ve got another tough game ahead.”