Bastinac was recognised for his role in shutting down dangerous West Coast midfielder Daniel Kerr in North Melbourne’s win over the Eagles on Saturday.
The third-gamer kept the premiership star to just three disposals in the first half, before he finished with 21 for the game.
Bastinac had 24 touches of his own to be a key contributor in North Melbourne’s win.
Coach Brad Scott told the 18-year-old on Thursday night he would be taking Kerr, leaving him two days to study for his role.
“I got told on Thursday. Brad spoke to Ben Cunnington and asked if it were him would he want to know now or on the day and he said he’d want to know straight away. He told me on Thursday so I could do a bit of research and try to prepare for him,” Bastinac said.
“He is one of the guns of the AFL so I knew I was in for a big day.”
Bastinac studied footage of Kerr and also picked the brains of two teammates who have built careers around taking on big-name players.
“I asked Brady (Rawlings) if he’d played on Kerr but he’s never played on him. He always used to take Chris Judd but Michael Firrito has spent some time on him. I spoke to him for a while and he gave me some advice. It was good to learn from those guys,” he said.
Drafted by North Melbourne with pick 21 at last year’s NAB AFL Draft, Bastinac made an immediate impression at his new club by winning the 3.2km time trial around Princes Park.
While admitting endurance is one of his strengths, Bastinac did not expect to place so highly.
“I didn’t really know how the guys ran. I guess it was a bit of a surprise,” he said.
“I thought I would have been a bit further back in the pack. I was happy to be right up there with all the other senior boys.”
Bastinac is a product of the highly successful Dandenong Stingrays TAC Cup club and counted No. 1 draft pick Tom Scully as a teammate for much of his junior career in Melbourne’s south east.
Scully and Bastinac began their junior careers for Berwick and Narre Warren respectively before Scully joined Bastinac at Narre Warren in the under-13s.
“We’ve played a lot against and with each other. He has always been the star and always will be. He is a great player", Bastinac said.
“I’m also really good mates with Dylan Roberton who got drafted to Freo. I keep a close eye on their progress and try and watch them every week."
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