A win would have been nice, but that was the only downside in an otherwise exciting day for Couch and his family after the 24-year-old rookie finally got his chance against Fremantle after a series of good performances in the VFL.
A noted stoppage player, his first touch was a kick off the ground.
He was courageous and laid a big tackle in the first quarter as Freo threatened to score.
He ended the game, which Freo stormed home to win, with eight tackles - a tally only behind tackling machine Jordie McKenzie.
Couch had 13 touches and three clearances.
After the game, the son of 1989 Brownlow medallist Paul Couch said he had a good sleep the night before and the experience of a couple of NAB Cup games had stood him in good stead.
He said his proud dad was a supporter rather than an adviser.
"I don't talk a lot about footy with dad," Couch said. "He's pretty honest but leaves coaching to the coaches."
That coaching has been instrumental in getting Couch to the point where he could play AFL football, after he played country football in Geelong, with Glenelg in the SANFL and Collingwood's VFL side before Melbourne took a punt with him in last year's rookie draft.
While his possible elevation has been a subject of external discussion for weeks, the player himself was comfortable with the advice he was getting.
"I personally did not get frustrated at all. I had little goals along the way and every two or three weeks I had to try to achieve them," Couch said. "Luckily enough for me the last few weeks I've been able to do that."
He described the experience as great until three-quarter time, when his team failed to complete the challenge.
With game one behind him, however, the next challenge awaits.
"I'm not just happy with one game though. I want to build on that," Couch said.
"I think the club is going in the right direction and I want to be a part of the future success."
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
