Sydney Swans draftee Justin McInerney was sitting on his phone in his living room as last Friday’s National Draft picks ticked by.

There was no need to pay close attention to the scores of names being called out at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium – McInerney and his family wouldn’t hear his name, if announced, until later in the afternoon.

Or so the fresh-faced Northern Knights winger thought.

But the 18-year-old’s AFL dream would, in a split second, bubble to life before his eyes, with the Swans securing the Victorian via their third-round selection and pick 44 overall.

“It was unbelievable,” McInerney told SwansTV.

“I wasn’t paying too much attention to the screen at the time because it was a bit early, so I was just sitting there on my phone and then my name got called out.

“I couldn’t believe it – it was just terrific. It was the best feeling ever, I was over the moon and it was just a great moment to spend with my family.”

McInerney was one of seven footballers selected by the Swans at last week’s National and Rookie Drafts.

Nick Blakey, James Rowbottom, McInerney and Zac Foot signed with the Swans at the National Draft, before Durak Tucker, Harry Reynolds and Sam Wicks were presented rookie contracts.

Every one of the youngsters were eased into training at Bat and Ball Oval in Moore Park on Monday, joining Josh Kennedy, Isaac Heeney, Nick Smith and the remainder of Sydney’s squad for the first all-in session of the pre-season.

And by all indications, the novelty of McInerney donning the red and white is far from wearing off.

“It’s pretty unreal,” McInerney said.

“A few days ago I was just hoping to get on an AFL list and now I’ve moved from Melbourne to Sydney and am training with the Swans.”

McInerney says his daring style of play is one of his key strengths and he cannot wait to hone his craft during the pre-season.

“Taking the game on, running with the ball, ball use, using the ball by foot and decision-making are what I build my game on,” McInerney said.

“It’ll be awesome to get cracking into the thick of pre-season training. It’s going to be tough and pretty gruelling and I’ll probably get smashed. But I just can’t wait to get into it.”