The spotlight was on Kieren Jack as Sydney Swans coach John Longmire set the scene for the veteran’s 250^th AFL match in Thursday’s team meeting.

But it was 18-year-old James Rowbottom, one of Sydney’s seven first-year draftees, who’d steal the eyeballs of the room ahead of Saturday night’s clash with Richmond at Marvel Stadium.

The Round 5 fixture will see Rowbottom march up the race for his senior debut, joining Jack, Lance Franklin, Dane Rampe and a host of other star Swans in the AFL just four months after arriving at the club.

Rowbottom gave SwansTV an insight into Longmire’s swift diversion, and he said he expected reality to hit on game day.

“It’s Kieren Jack’s 250^th game this weekend and John Longmire asked Kieren to tell us all a bit about his journey,” Rowbottom said.

“He then asked if he remembered his first game, before saying, ‘We’ve got another player playing his first game this weekend’ – and that’s when I found out I was making my debut.

“It still hasn’t really sunk in yet, and I don’t think it will until I get to the ground and start warming up. But it’s great news and all my family and friends are really excited.”

The Swans lured Rowbottom via their second-round selection at last November’s AFL Draft. 

The hard-nosed midfielder had grabbed the attention of Sydney list manager Kinnear Beatson in his efforts for the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup – now dubbed the NAB League – and Victoria Metro in the AFL Under-18 Championships. 

He’s earned an AFL call-up off the back of eye-catching form in the NEAFL, with his first two outings for the second-tier side yielding an average of 29.5 disposals and 1.5 goals.

The young Swan collected 28 touches and three goals as Sydney overpowered the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium last Saturday, including an 80-metre bomb from the right wing.

Rowbottom tipped his hat to Sydney’s two development coaches, Jeremy Laidler and Lloyd Perris, as well as bullocking midfield duo Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker. 

“From a coaching perspective, I’ve worked closely with the development coaches in Jeremy Laidler and Lloyd Perris. They’ve been massive for the younger boys and I’ve really learned a lot off them so far,” Rowbottom said. 

“And so far I’ve mainly played on the inside of the midfield, and you’ve got a couple of guns in there like Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker – and they’ve been massive for me. I’ve been asking them as many questions as possible and I’ve tried to be as much of a sponge as I can.”