AS FAR as initiations go, Danny Stanley’s first senior game on Monday was right at the difficult end of the scale.

The 19-year-old from Ocean Grove didn't know he would play until Sunday after being named as an emergency, and he was thrown into the deep end when asked to curtail Demons forward Russell Robertson.

With the Magpies' defence already depleted by losing James Clement, Simon Prestigiacomo and Rhyce Shaw, the first-quarter injury to Harry O'Brien meant there was nowhere for Stanley to hide as he was thrown onto the experienced forward, who ended the day with seven match-winning goals.

"The confidence was down a bit when he was kicking goals, but the boys around me were very supportive and everyone was very encouraging," Stanley told collingwoodfc.com.au after the game.

"They kept saying, ‘Don't worry about that one, just get on with the next one’.

"You do one thing that you wouldn't think was that good, like a spoil or a smother, and then everyone is around you like you've just kicked a goal, so it was great to have the boys on the backline supporting me."

Coach Mick Malthouse gave Stanley the chance to learn from his mistakes and kept him opposite Robertson for much of the game, swapping him intermittently with fellow youngster Alan Toovey.

Stanley said it was nice to be backed by the coach and given the responsibility to atone for his errors after Robertson got off to a flying start.

"If he'd taken me off, the confidence probably would have gone down a bit," he said.

"I ended up playing 100 per cent game time, so it was a good hit-out for the first game. I'll learn a lot from it and hopefully be in next week."

Stanley had in fact lined up on Robertson in the VFL three weeks ago, keeping him to one goal, although Robertson kicked a couple more on other defenders. He discovered on Monday that standing Robertson with Melbourne’s senior team on song was a tougher challenge.

"He obviously got better delivery and had a better midfield to kick to him, so it was a bit hard when they were stuffing the ball down his throat,” Stanley said. “But I was mainly cautious of not letting him jump, which I learned last time.

“He's a pretty potent forward and I just had to get my positioning right on him. A couple of times I got there, and a couple of times I didn't."

Malthouse said Stanley will remember his first match for "reasons both good and bad", but all the emerging defender was focused on after the match was the feeling of elation he experienced as he ran through the banner.

"It was a bit dreamy for the first quarter and a bit, and then I started to settle down," he said.

"To walk out there and go through the banner and hear the roar was amazing.

"I was just happy to be out there – disappointed with the loss, but it was still a good experience to get the first game under the belt."