The electrifying NAB Cup debut of young Crows ruckman Jonathon Griffin gave Adelaide supporters something to cheer about on Friday night.Griffin burst onto the scene in the first quarter of loss to Port Adelaide, taking a strong contested mark and kicking two important goals within eight minutes.“Before the game I wouldn’t have thought that I would have kicked two goals with my first two kicks,” Griffin said. “And to be able to do that was a good start and has boosted my confidence, which is good.”For Griffin the NAB Cup match was another step in the right direction.“Yeah, it’s given me good belief and a good understanding of what AFL footy is like and what the season has to come,” he said.“It was obviously a lot quicker than the standard of footy that I’m used to. I learned a lot from that. And also (I learned) about the way everyone goes about their business – it’s very serious. It was really good to be a part of it.”Adding to the learning experience was lining up on one of the AFL’s strongest ruck combinations in Port Adelaide’s Brendon Lade and Dean Brogan.“It was a really good experience to line up against those two – they’re arguably the best ruck combination in the AFL, and Lade was All-Australian last year,” Griffin said. “So it was a good experience to learn about how they go about it and gives me a good idea of how far away I am from them.“Physically it was pretty hard – it was hard to keep up with them but it gave me a good idea of how far I’ve come, and how far I’ve got to go.”Although Griffin’s introduction to AFL football was a successful one, the former East Fremantle junior is hoping to continue taking small steps forward.“Craigy just said that it was a good start, but I’ve got to make sure I can grow from that and keep putting in the performances like that, and then see what happens,” he said. “Basically, the situation is that I’ve got to keep myself on the track and see how it pans out.”Griffin was first listed with the Crows as a rookie in 2004 and the lanky 202cm giant has been preparing his game and body for the rigours of AFL football.Griffin said that building a body suited for rucking at the highest level has been difficult due to the fact that he has only recently stopped growing.“It’s been fairly difficult,” he said. “I came here at about 198cm and 80kg, and at the moment I’m 95kg and 202cm – it’s been pretty hard to put on weight while growing. I guess I’ve stopped growing now, so hopefully I can hit the gym hard and put on those kilos that I need.”Griffin’s successful debut has added weight to his bid to fill the ruck vacancies left by Rhett Biglands and Matthew Clarke.“My confidence is growing obviously, (and with) two blokes out now and Huddo playing good footy,” he said. “I’m playing ok, I’m doing my part for the team but the challenge for me is to keep putting my performance forward and hopefully that will lead me into (selection in) Round one.”Griffin said injuries to John Meesen and Ivan Maric have not created extra pressure.“I’m viewing it as a great opportunity and I’m going to just try my hardest and play as much AFL footy as I can. I just see it as a really good opportunity to learn.”