It's not that everything you have done on the field means nothing, but the most crucial time for an 18-year-old during his draft year is the time spent at draft camp.

Being an AFL player is a boy's dream and to finally be in Canberra for the camp, while incredibly exciting and a great experience, is also one of the most mentally draining weeks of a teenager's life.

This is your big chance. Impress here and you take a big step towards getting drafted but I can tell you having the coaches, recruiters and development officers from every club walking around, casting their eye over you, seeing what you have got and what you've got to say, was the most nerve-wracking thing I'd ever done.

I would imagine that will be the same feeling for the latest batch of guys at the AIS this week, all wanting to impress and show they have what it takes to make it in AFL football.

Back in 2008 I remember I arrived in Canberra hoping to test as well as I possibly could, but at the same time I went in there wanting to be as relaxed as I could be.

I wanted to perform well, but I also felt that if I stayed relaxed and could just be myself, that would help me when it came to the interviews.

The first night there was quite relaxed. We had our repeat sprints testing, but then had a dinner with all the boys, which was the perfect opportunity to mix with everyone and forget about all the testing that lay ahead for us all.

It's a good experience to meet other boys in the same position as you and make new friends.

The following two days were the most intense days of my year. We had to complete a number of different tests including the beep test, 3km time-trial and the vertical jump.

And on top of that I was then interviewed by 15 of the 16 clubs, which made for a tough couple of days.

Normally I am quite an outgoing person but once I sat down for my interviews with each of the clubs, it was like I became a different person, all shy and finding it hard to say what I wanted.

You realise this is your future you have in your hands, and you want to make sure you say all the right things and hopefully convince someone you will be the right player to draft.

Thankfully after I had spoken to five clubs, I started to feel a bit more confident -  until Mark ‘Choco’ Williams put me back in my box with plenty of difficult questions. Questions like how talented did I think I was! That’s something most teenage boys are not comfortable answering.

I was happy with how I went, and the key was just to be yourself and tell the truth.

Once draft camp is over, a lot of people think the hard work has been done and they can now relax, but really you must train even harder from that moment on, just to make sure that if you do get drafted, you can impress the coaching staff and team mates in your first week at the club. First impressions are important.

And the hard work never stops. After two seasons at the Swans, and quite a few injuries, I’ll have to work even harder next season to achieve my goal of playing senior footy.