A SEVERELY underdone Trent Castles made a sensational AFL Riverina league debut on Saturday.
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Castles booted five goals for Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes against Turvey Park despite a limited preparation.
The classy forward only trained with his new teammates for the first time on the Thursday in the lead-up to the match.
Castles said he is eagerly anticipating the remainder of the season.
"I enjoyed playing a lot more than I thought I would, despite the ordinary conditions," Castles said.
"I probably missed three or four goals that I would normally kick.
"I only trained once on Thursday and went straight into the side.
"So I was happy to get a few touches and help contribute to the win.
"I kicked two early which gave me a bit of confidence."
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Castles said he was still getting to know his new teammates.
Corowa-Rutherglen recruit Chris Willis is the only player Castles knew before Saturday.
"They are such a terrific club and have made me feel so welcome," he said.
"I wasn't too sure what to expect on Saturday.
"But I've played enough footy now and having that experience helps.
"But I'm bloody sore today and it's going to take me a few days to recover.
"I'm really keen to play with the boys on a fast deck because the conditions on the weekend were ordinary."
Castles played the entire match from the goal square.
His five goals proved invaluable in the low-scoring contest as the Goannas enjoyed a 11.7 (73) to 2.8 (20) victory.
Castles was impressed by young key-forward George Kendall who played at centre half-forward.
Kendall was instrumental in the Goannas win the previous week over Osborne with four goals.
"George really stood out to me and looks to have a big career ahead of him," he said.
MCUE coach Jeremy Rowe paid tribute to Castles.
"His performance was unreal when you really think about it," Rowe said.
"We knew he was a very good footballer coming in but to have your first game for your club on a wet day, a lesser guy probably would have come in and struggled.
"He announced himself as a pretty good player early and to kick five in those conditions was a great effort."
