BILLY Stretch says his first AFL match was a “fantastic learning experience” even though he didn’t get the result he wanted.

The South Australian had a dream personal start when he laid a good tackle and then minutes later booted his inaugural AFL goal with his first kick.

But Stretch was part of a Melbourne team that went down by 38 points to the Sydney Swans on Saturday night.

Still, he said his first appearance in the red and blue on the MCG was a moment he’ll never forget.

“I’ve learned a lot out of it (the match), so it’s been a massive learning curve for me,” he told Dee TV.

“It wasn’t the result we were looking for, but it was good to pull them back a bit in the second half.

“It was pretty poor in the first half. Our ability to join in wasn’t as good and we were second to the ball in that first half.

“But it was good to claw it back and it was a fantastic learning experience.”