MANY things go into making up a successful AFL debut, but you don't often hear about jam sandwiches being one of them.

Richmond's Trent Cotchin had just finished the warm-up for a match with VFL side Coburg on Saturday morning when he was told to get his footy gear off and warm down again – he was going to play in the AFL a few hours later instead.

Cotchin, 18, was taken at number two in last year's NAB AFL National Draft, but a series of injuries kept him on the sidelines until a couple of months ago, when a string of good performances in the VFL put him back in the spotlight.

"I did the warm-up with Coburg, so I was ready to play for them, and I was looking forward to getting out in the wet, because that's one of my favourite games, as the ball's always on the ground," Cotchin said.

"We came back in from the warm-up, and one of the coaches said, ‘You may as well get your gear back on, because you're a chance to play in the ones’."

Coach Terry Wallace told the youngster just to reset himself for the game in the afternoon.

"I spoke to Plough (Wallace) and he just said if you need to leave, just go away and relax your mind and come back and prepare for your game again.

“So I went back to Punt Road, and the conditioning coach got me a couple of jam sandwiches because I hadn't pre-made my lunch, so I had them and did a couple of ice-baths just to cool myself off and get ready again."

With his initial touch at the top level, Cotchin joined that ever-expanding club of players who've kicked a goal with their first kick in AFL footy.

"The first kick? It was a bit of battler, but it got through, so it was OK," he said with a laugh. "That was my job, to crumb, so I got front and centre and took the opportunity, and it was good.

"Obviously you're very nervous before the game, but once you get into it, you just feel like you're playing another match of footy.

"It's very different – it's a lot quicker, and even the ball use ... [was] better than Coburg, and it was a wet day. I enjoyed it."