LEWIS Young put in the best performance of his footballing life to date in front of over 88,000 people in Round 1.

Tasked with quelling Jack Riewoldt in Carlton’s defensive 50, Young ended the night as the consensus pick for his team’s best player, thwarting a number of opposition attacks on the last line.

Collecting 20 disposals and a game-high 14 intercept possessions, Young was rock solid on a night where he, Jacob Weitering and Mitch McGovern stood up under a barrage of Richmond forward entries.

01:26

AFL R1 | Best of Weitering and Young

Watch some of Jacob Weitering and Lewis Young's highlights from Round 1.

While the last minute saw the Tigers tie up the scores for a dramatic draw (the first of Young’s career), the key defender was just happy to respond coming into a game where he admitted he hadn’t displayed the form he wanted.

“I’m pretty happy with how I went. I had a bit of an interesting week: the last practice game, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” Young told 1116 SEN.

“I played with a bit of confidence. I was pretty happy with how my game went . . . being present in the moment all game was really important for me.”

11:02

Young on Round 1, improvements from last season

Lewis Young spoke to Dwayne Russell on SEN about last night's draw to Richmond.

Gaining the praise of the football world last night, Michael Voss was quick to credit Young when asked about the defender in his post-match press conference.

Arriving at the Club alongside Voss at the end of 2021, the AFL Senior Coach said that Young’s development had even surprised a few at IKON Park.

“He’s been growing for the last 12 months . . . his development has been really steep,” Voss said.

“To be able to see him and what he’s been able to do, to know when to be assertive and win his battles — he’s winning more battles and playing against a pretty good opponent.”

Thursday night marked Young’s (and Carlton’s) second consecutive game in front of over 88,000 people. For Young, it’s something he’s not taking for granted.

“I’m starting to get used to it, which is nice! Last year was a bit of a shock to the system,” he said.

“It’s a finals-like atmosphere when you have 88,000 there: you’ve got to use these moments and enjoy these moments, because not many people get to experience them.

“You’ve got to enjoy it.”