CONQUERING Everest is more likely than trying to wipe the smile from Josh Tynan.

So, when the 18 year-old found out he would be donning the red and blue for the first time on Saturday, his smile grew  wider.

“As we were coming off the track on Wednesday, Neeldy came up to me and said ‘congratulations, stay off your legs for the next few days, because you’re playing on the weekend’,” Tynan said at AAMI Park on Friday.

“It was a little bit of a shock, but I’d done everything I could.”

The likeable country kid from Gippsland has made a quick impression at Melbourne, with his tough as nails approach one of his most admired features.

The defender said his family was “stoked” when told he would be playing against Brisbane Lions at the MCG on Saturday.

But he said his first aim when he came to the club was to earn the respect of the players and the coaching staff.

“If a game came up, I would’ve taken it, but round one is definitely a good feeling,” he said.

“Early I had a few little niggling injuries, so that was hard [to overcome], but I got through them,” he said.

“I had a pretty solid pre-season and worked on my fitness, and I was lucky enough to get a few NAB [Cup] games.”

Tynan said the backline group had been his biggest supporters at the club since his arrival.

“They’ve given me a lot of advice, and Jack Grimes has looked after me a fair bit, as well as Nathan Jones,” he said.

“I didn’t have my licence when I first got down to the club, so he was driving me to training and giving me some tips, so that was helpful.”