THERE aren’t too many tests more intimidating in a club debut than coming up against Max Gawn.

Marc Pittonet didn’t let his new team down.

Coming in to fill the void of Matthew Kreuzer, Pittonet battled manfully to finish with 14 disposals (10 contested), 23 hitouts and five clearances.

Receiving the acclaim by his teammates post-match, Pittonet said his sole focus was to play his designated role.

“It was in my interests to do it to the best of my ability,” Pittonet said post-match.

“As long as the coaches and the boys are happy with my role, it’s all I really care about — and a win.”

Pittonet had spent his career biding his time, forging a reputation as one of the best ruckmen in the VFL before arriving at Ikon Park.

With Gawn waiting in the wings, Pittonet saw the opportunity to come up against one of the competition’s best as a chance to grow.

As the 24-year-old said, he’ll only get better playing more games of football.

“I like to think I’m in the prime of my age, but I haven’t played too many games,” he said.

“I can only get better from here, in my opinion.

“Every time I play against a good player, I watch what they do. I review it, see what works well and what didn’t. What did I do well, how can I improve?”

After yesterday’s heartbreak, Pittonet is still waiting for the first time he can sing the club song.

“As a team, we’ve got to learn to get better: we’re here to get wins,” he said.

“We’re not going away from this thinking ‘we deserved a win’ or ‘we were unlucky’ — we come away from this saying ‘we need to be ruthless with this’.

“We’re here to win.”

A full insight into Marc Pittonet's Carlton debut will be available tomorrow.