The 20-year-old Victorian had eight possessions and laid six tackles in what were difficult conditions for a tall forward.
He said the pre-match butterflies only kicked in a few hours before bounce down.
“The days leading up to the game I was ok, but I got pretty worked up just before the game and I was feeling a bit sick,” he said.
But Taberner said Freo’s leaders helped ease the nerves.
“Most of the senior guys had a chat to me and just said it was a good opportunity, and just play your role and give 100 per cent effort,” he said.
“It was a good experience and I was lucky enough to have a win in the first game.”
Taberner was opposed on the day by Kangaroo defenders Lachie Hansen and Nathan Grima.
He said the crowd and the pace of the game were the biggest eye-openers of playing at AFL level.
“The crowd of (more than) 30,000 was the biggest crowd I’ve played in front of by a mile,” Taberner said.
“Also, getting used to the intensity of the game, it moves a lot quicker and there’s a lot of stoppages.
“When the ball’s moving, you always have to be switched on.”
Taberner was given some positive feedback after the game from his development coach, Steve Grace.
“He was happy for me and he said it was a great start.”
