Hence, the 18-year-old midfielder was determined to make every moment count after he was selected to debut against Geelong on Saturday at Skilled Stadium.
"It was really good to get out there and see what it's like. It was a good experience," he said after the Demons' 54-point loss.
"It was a shame we couldn't do it for Brent Moloney in his 100th game but we never gave up and we showed some good signs, which was great."
"I wasn't too bad leading up to it but then as we started to warm up, I started to feel nervous.
"But playing against Geelong, I just saw it as a challenge to come up against the best midfield in the league."
Gysberts was drafted by the Demons behind the high-profile pair but still within the first round, at selection No.11 overall.
He said it had been frustrating to watch the pair named each week until they were rested for the Cats' game but he had gained confidence from seeing how easily they slotted into senior football.
"It was a little bit hard but you look at the midfield and it's hard to know who you'd take out," he said.
"It helped me because they had been playing well and it made me less nervous to play this week."
Gysberts' 26 possessions - the most of any Demon - on Saturday have left him almost a certainty to hold his spot and face Carlton next weekend.
He said the experience of helping Nathan Jones attempt to blanket Gary Ablett during the round 10 match was surreal.
"I didn't think it was real when I walked up to him at first," he said.
"I've always watched him throughout juniors and to see what he was really like on the field was a different perspective. You notice a lot more."
Gysberts, who averaged 23 disposals in the TAC Cup last year while playing for the Eastern Ranges, said Melbourne was an exciting club to be at, given its young list.
"The leadership group has built the culture really early and everyone is coming in and we're nearly all between 18 and 22," he said.
"I guess a lot of our players have grown up together. They were all helping me out. It makes it a lot easier."
