HAYDEN Skipworth has played 44 matches in the AFL – equivalent to two full seasons – but admits he’s already nervous ahead of Sunday's clash with Port Adelaide.

The 26-year-old was delisted by the Crows after the 2006 season and he moved to Essendon’s VFL affiliate Bendigo before undergoing a knee reconstruction in 2007.

A stellar 2008 saw him snapped up by the Bombers in the NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft and he will debut at AAMI Stadium in black-and-red in his hometown.

“I’ve got the nerves of a first-gamer,” he said on Friday. “I found out early in the week that I was playing and ever since then I‘ve been pretty nervous.

“A Sunday game doesn’t help – it would have been nice to play Thursday night and get it out of the way but I’m very excited and I’ll be back in my home state, so hopefully some friends and family get along as well.”

Skipworth admitted that his career could have ended with less than a half-century of matches to his name.

“After I did my knee it definitely crossed my mind that that was it.

“But I always wanted to get back on an AFL list, so it wasn’t a hard decision for me to stay on and have another year over here.

“I was lucky enough that I strung basically every game together last year and played some good ones.

“I had a reasonable pre-season and that was enough to get me picked up in the pre-season draft.”