One of them will be forever entrenched in his memory. Astbury was at the foot of a pack, and after somehow managing to find the ball in his hands, the youngster dribbled it through with the outside of his boot to the delight of the Tiger faithful.
But the youngster didn’t take all the credit for it.
“I think it was just though the hard work from the other boys and I was just lucky to be on the end of it,” the level-headed Tiger said after the game.
Astbury finished with three goals in an impressive debut, and while he only had seven possessions, he was pleased with his performance while being relieved to get game number one out of the way.
“It was obviously a little bit of disappointment with the result, but it was good to get the first one on the board and get a couple of kicks as well,” he said.
Taken at pick 35 in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft from the North Ballarat Rebels, Astbury showed glimpses that the Tigers' search for a key position forward to partner Jack Riewoldt may be over.
“I’ve got plenty of development in my body, but hopefully I’ll get a few more games under my belt," he said.
The 19-year-old was one of three Tiger players to make their debut in the yellow and black on Sunday, and Astbury was adamant this year was not all doom and gloom for Tiger supporters.
“We have got six or seven blokes that have played less than five games of footy for the club that were in today’s team,” he said.
“I suppose we can take plenty out of games like this, and moving forward I think we will be competitive. We’re not too far away."
